4 Most Brutal Stretches of the Golden Knights’ 2025-26 Schedule

The Golden Knights face a brutal start to late October with a trio of road games in Sunrise (Florida), Tampa Bay, and Carolina. These Eastern Conference powerhouses are either current or former Stanley Cup champions or perennial contenders. The advanced stats not only indicate their strength at controlling possession (expected goals for percentage (xGF%) over 54 % in recent years), but also at scoring goals, with all three in the top six of goals-per-game since the 2019-20 season. Vegas also historically sees xGF% drop by 1.5 to two points when playing away, especially against elite teams. Corsi and scoring chances trends mirror this dip.

This early-season road cluster tests the team’s adaptation to new systems after training camp. With captain Mark Stone banged up and star defenseman Alex Pietrangelo on the shelf, the Golden Knights’ mettle will be tested, and they will continue to lean on secondary defenders. Thankfully, adding Mitch Marner, who averages at least a point per game against the trio, can give Vegas more leeway with goal support.

Last but not least, the Golden Knights conclude their four-day road trip with a home game on Halloween against the Avalanche. The Avalanche are 7-4-1 against Vegas in the last four regular seasons and have won or tied every series despite the Golden Knights having outscored them 32-27 during this span.

Stretch 2: Dec. 5-13: Metropolitan Gauntlet

• Dec. 5: at New Jersey Devils (4:00 p.m. PT)
• Dec. 7: at New York Rangers (4:00 p.m. PT)
• Dec. 9: at New York Islanders (4:00 p.m. PT)
• Dec. 11: at Philadelphia Flyers (4:00 p.m. PT)
• Dec. 13: at Columbus Blue Jackets (4:00 p.m. PT)

As memes go, “one does not simply” run through the Metropolitan Division and come away unscathed. Despite the New York teams falling short of expectations last season, this is a brutal stretch in the Golden Knights’ season. The Devils are a playoff contender and have the potential to be more than that if Jack Hughes is healthy. Meanwhile, the Blue Jackets surprised last season under new head coach Dean Evason. They ranked in the top four in high-danger shooting percentage and high-danger save percentage. This might be due for regression this season. But this also indicates how inspired Columbus played.

Data still rolls heavy when these Metro teams host games: four of the five have held xGF% north of 51% since the 2022-23 regular season. They’ve also forced the Golden Knights’ Corsi For  percentage (CF%) down by two to three points, and squeezed scoring chance percentages into the mid‑40s against them. This may not seem like a lot, but in an eight-day East Coast road trip, this adds up.

The Golden Knights’ fatigue also showed in road games last season. While they had the fifth-best point percentage, they only ranked 12th in goals for percentage and 23rd in PDO (shooting percentage plus save percentage). You can say Vegas got “unlucky,” or the stat reflects a drop-off in finishing prowess and goaltender sharpness.

Playing in the Eastern Time Zone, the Golden Knights also posted a 6-7-3 record last season. Games start at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time) or earlier. Earlier studies revealed the negative impacts of traveling between wider time-zone changes or “Adjusted Jet Lag” (AJL). In NHL teams’ cases, we see a dip in goal differentials and win rates.

Stretch 3: Jan. 22-29: Dallas Punctuates Cross-Country Trip to Atlantic

• Jan. 22: at Boston Bruins (4:00 p.m. PT)
• Jan. 23: at Toronto Maple Leafs (4:00 p.m. PT)
• Jan. 25: at Ottawa Senators (2:00 p.m. PT)
• Jan. 27: at Montreal Canadiens (4:00 p.m. PT)
• Jan. 29: vs Dallas Stars (7:00 p.m. PT)

Going with the “East Coast” theme, this Atlantic Division-heavy stretch can push the Golden Knights to a breaking point. Most of the focus here will be on Marner’s return to Toronto. NHL analyst Pierre McGuire expects a “nasty” reception for the former Leaf. And with the team facing Boston just a night earlier, this may feel like an uphill climb for the Golden Knights.

“It will be nasty, it will be a lot like when Tavares went back to Long Island. What happened to John Tavares when he went back to Long Island wasn’t very hospitable, and he’s about as nice a guy you can get… He did a lot of amazing things there for the New York Islanders for a long period of time, but it shows you how angry the fans were. You can understand, they felt jilted. I think the same thing is going to happen when Mitchell comes back to Toronto. I don’t think there will be any warm fuzzy stuff going on.”

The Bruins fell off a cliff last season, but they had the Golden Knights running for their purses in Boston. Meanwhile, the Maple Leafs are 5-2 against the Golden Knights at Scotiabank Arena. The Senators and Canadiens are coming off playoff appearances and now have two of the most promising young cores. For previous squads, the Golden Knights’ xGF% in this cluster dipped below 48 %, while CF% trailed season norms by two points.

And just like the October stretch, the Golden Knights return to Vegas and host a conference powerhouse in Dallas. The Stars not only eliminated the Golden Knights in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs but also won two of their three regular-season meetings last season. Each game was decided by one goal.

Stretch 4: March 22-April 2: March Madness Featuring the Oilers

• March 22: at Dallas Stars (4:00 p.m. PT)
• March 24: at Winnipeg Jets (5:00 p.m. PT)
• March 26: vs Edmonton Oilers (6:30 p.m. PT)
• March 28: vs Washington Capitals (7:30 p.m. PT)
• March 30: vs Vancouver Canucks (7:00 p.m. PT)
• April 2: vs Calgary Flames (7:00 p.m. PT)
• April 4: at Edmonton Oilers (7:00 p.m. PT)

Division games can be tricky. Even if the Golden Knights all but owned the Pacific (19-5-2 record last season), it still faces its playoff nemesis twice in eight days: the Oilers. Edmonton outclassed Vegas in the recent Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Oilers had the edge at 5-on-5, holding the Golden Knights to just seven goals and shutting them out in the final two games. On top of that, the they play three teams that each won a playoff series last season in the Capitals, Jets, and Stars.

Hosting the Flames and Canucks, two also-rans from last season, is no picnic either. Data from the past three seasons shows that the latter finished with a positive goal-differential while the former had a better xGF%. Add an intangible where either team, if not both, could be fighting for a playoff spot, while the Golden Knights will likely be contending with the Oilers (and the Kings) for the division. The stakes are at their peak in this build-up to the postseason.

Injuries should also play a factor. The Golden Knights have been snakebitten with injuries, even last season. Vegas led the NHL in man-games lost to injury in 2023-24, while it also played significantly in the team missing the playoffs in 2022-23. The Golden Knights are known for their depth and balanced scoring (11 players scored 10 or more goals last season), but missing key contributors in crucial stretches can make the difference in these challenging runs.