(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

The Golden Knights are currently the 11th-highest scoring team in the NHL. VGK are averaging 3.33 goals per game, while only allowing 2.58 opponents’ goals per contest. This shouldn’t be surprising, as the franchise has averaged more than 3.2 goals per game during the entire Bruce Cassidy era. Also, they added superstar Mitch Marner to the top six.

VGK’s Goals Scored Per Game Under Cassidy

2025-26: 3.33 Goals Scored Per Game (11th)
2024-25: 3.34 Goals Scored Per Game (5th)
2023-24: 3.21 Goals Scored Per Game (14th)
2022-23: 3.26 Goals Scored Per Game (14th)

The Golden Knights have a goal differential of +8 through 12 games, but they’re not doing enough of it on 5-on-5, a format that takes up about 75% of a 60-minute NHL game. This year’s team has averaged 1.92 goals per game at 5-on-5. The fewest the team has scored in franchise history is 2.11 in both Year 2 and Year 3.  Cassidy’s teams coming into this season have averaged 2.22 per game, so they are a third of a goal short each night.

Currently, the Golden Knights are 26th in 5-on-5 goals with 23 in a dozen games. By the way, VGK’s marquee player Jack Eichel has seven of them. Wingers Pavel Dorofeyev and Ivan Barbashev have four apiece, which means the rest of the roster has combined for just eight.

Now, when it comes to having an extra man, VGK has plenty of scoring to show for it. The Golden Knights rank in the top ten for total man-advantage goals scored this season. Dorofeyev, Vegas’ top power play sniper, is tied for second for the most PP goals of 2025-26.

Going into tonight, the Golden Knights’ power play success rate is scoring at a healthy 25%. It’s dropped over the past few games, but expect Vegas to continue to score when they have an extra skater on the ice. Considering Vegas doesn’t draw many penalties, even-strength goals are extremely valuable for their future success. In 11 postseason games last season, Vegas scored eight power play goals but only 17 at 5-on-5. That’s a measly 1.55 per night at 5-on-5, nowhere close to enough to win in the playoffs.

Scoring hasn’t been a major concern through the first month of the season, but with the power play dipping a bit with Mark Stone on the shelf, the 5-on-5 numbers are going to have to start going up, and quickly.