Players and coaches won’t provide excuses. They will never mentally relent, not in Vegas.
The reality, however, is there for us to see. The Golden Knights are close to running on empty. They need a reset and a recharge.
With every team in the NHL playing close to four games a week for the last month, the schedule has been incredibly taxing. January of 2026 has been the busiest month in NHL history in terms of the number of games played.
Some teams have wilted and fallen out of the playoff picture altogether. Some have surged and some have managed to tread water.
Vegas, with six of its regulars out of the lineup for much of the last month, has managed to pick up points and stay in first place atop the Pacific Division.
With four games left prior to the Olympic break, the team has done itself a lot of good by continuing to grind. Some teams have been broken by the schedule over the last month and seen their seasons move from promising to lost. They’ve transformed from deadline buyers to sellers. Vegas has held its place with almost a third of its lineup on the shelf.
Again, the players won’t point to this when discussing their results from game to game but it’s the reality. Brayden McNabb, William Karlsson, and Brett Howden are critical pieces for Vegas and big reasons why this city celebrated a Stanley Cup in the summer of 2023. Brandon Saad, Carter Hart and Colton Sissons are players the organization has brought in to buttress the lineup. All are sorely missed at this juncture.
Mental and physical fatigue gets compounded with a lineup that is watered down due to injury. Mistakes are magnified.
Some may be tired of hearing the word resilience when it comes to the Golden Knights and wonder why they seem to play better hockey once they get behind in games. Without that resilience, Vegas would no longer be a playoff team. The organization has stated none of the injured players listed above will be ready to return until after the Olympic break.
A caller named Joe after the 5-4 shootout loss to the Dallas Stars on Thursday night ended his chat with postgame radio host Ryan Wallis saying, “When we have everybody, we can beat anybody.”
Joe is right. Give head coach Bruce Cassidy the full roster that GM Kelly McCrimmon has assembled, and the Golden Knights are one of the most dangerous teams in the NHL. Cassidy hasn’t had that lineup yet this season for any meaningful amount of time.
The Olympic break couldn’t be coming at a better time for Vegas. The players going to the Olympics will get a mental and physical change from the daily grind of the NHL. Those that aren’t heading to Italy will be able to unplug for a bit. Injured players will be given a three-week gap in the schedule to continue their rehab.
Vegas has chugged along. Cassidy said they have yet to be able to “plow” through the schedule and opponents.
“We’re still forging ahead, but we’re not plowing ahead like we would like to,” he said. “We’re not separating from Edmonton and Seattle like we would like to. Right now, we are still moving forward just not at the pace we would like. That’s the challenge coming out of the Olympics. Get a few of the guys back, I don’t know everybody’s timeframe and we’re missing some leaders in our room and key guys. We’re hoping they can give us some energy in the second half.”
Four games to go. It doesn’t have to be pretty. Pick up as many points as possible and stay at or near the top of the division.
Then, take a deep breath. Recharge and reset then get ready for the final days of February and the month of March, which will see the team play 18 games in 34 days.
Health is always the great equalizer in today’s NHL. And in an Olympic year with a condensed schedule like we are witnessing this season, it is an even larger factor.
January has felt like a sprint, but it’s not the sprint to the finish. That comes after the break. Maybe Vegas timed it just right and will be at their best coming down the stretch.
