Historically, VGK Teams Have Done Just Fine While On The Wrong Side Of The Playoff Cut Line

(Photo Credit: @mnwild on X/Twitter)

If this season has felt weird, that’s because it has been. 18 games into the season, the Golden Knights have been on the outside of the playoff picture for five days and have played each of the last three games on the wrong side of the cut line.

That may seem like nothing, but it’s the longest stretch they’ve been outside of the playoffs at any point since the season they missed in 21-22. In the Bruce Cassidy era, VGK have been in ninth place or worse in the Western Conference when they took the ice just four times, and three of them have been in the last week.

Cassidy’s teams have been up to the test. This weekend, they posted a win and an overtime loss, while the final game of the homestand was also an OTL. Add those into the October 22, 2024, win over the Kings, and the Golden Knights have recorded at least a point in every game they’ve been out of the playoffs since Cassidy took over.

During each of the Pete DeBoer and Gerard Gallant eras, there was a season that VGK found themselves on the outside looking in, and in both cases, they also performed quite well.

In 21-22, the year Vegas ultimately missed out, they posted an impressive 18-9-3 record in games when they were outside of the playoff picture. Unfortunately, that team struggled when they played games on the correct side of the line, and it sunk them.

In 2019-20, the year Gallant was fired, VGK played just six games, while outside of the playoffs, they went 4-2-0. Gallant’s Golden Knights were in 1st place when the calendar flipped. They fell out of the playoffs for a few days, Gallant was fired, and DeBoer’s teams picked up a win and an OT loss and never fell out of the picture again.

Finally, the 2018-19 team had a slow start, losing four of their first five games. That team played 29 games outside of the playoff picture and went 16-12-1. There was a winning streak at the end of it, which helped them reclaim 3rd place in the Pacific in January and they never let go.

Overall, the Golden Knights have played 67 of their 637 games while outside of the playoff picture. They are 40-21-6 (.642) when they aren’t in the playoffs, while 330-181-59 (.631) when in. By points percentage, VGK are actually better on the outside than they are on the inside.

If the Oilers pick up a point tonight in Buffalo or the Mammoth win in Anaheim, Vegas will hit the ice tomorrow on the wrong side of the line once again. And weirdly, it might be the best thing for them.