(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

November in the NHL tends to separate the contenders and the rebuilders. This season many more teams have made it through the month with the belief that they can make a postseason run. This gives Vegas a lot less wiggle room this season than they are used to.

Western Conference Outlook At Thanksgiving

Colorado Avalanche: 17-1-5 (39 Points)
Dallas Stars: 15-5-4 (34 Points)
Minnesota Wild: 12-7-4 (30 Points)
Anaheim Ducks: 14-8-1 (29 Points)
Seattle Kraken: 11-6-6 (28 Points)
Los Angeles Kings: 11-6-6 (28 Points)
Vegas Golden Knights: 10-5-8 (28 Points)
Utah Mammoth: 12-9-3 (27 Points)

For the believers in the Thanksgiving benchmark, you’ll be glad to know that the Golden Knights are still currently in a postseason position. Sure, it’s not a glamorous record, but nevertheless, Vegas is in. However, the 2023 Stanley Cup champions are trending in the wrong direction. With back-to-back defeats at home, Vegas is now behind LA and Seattle. Two teams that trailed VGK on Turkey Day.

When you compare the current team to the last five, there’s one thing that stands out. The Golden Knights have a staggering eight overtime losses by Thanksgiving. That’s more OTL’s than the last three November holidays combined.

VGK’s Annual Record By Thanksgiving

2022-23: 16-4-1 (33 Points)
2023-24: 14-4-2 (30 Points)
2024-25: 14-6-3 (31 Points)
2025-26: 10-5-8 (28 Points)

In coach Bruce Cassidy’s fourth season, the Golden Knights have fallen below 30 points at Thanksgiving for the first time. Injuries are a factor, but even the Stanley Cup-winning coach won’t use that as an excuse for Vegas’ ordinary opening two months.

We need to manage the puck better, that’s what needs to change. It’s that simple. There’s no complicated answer in this one. It’s been four games probably we’ve lost in overtime where we’ve had the puck, and it’s been in our net three to five seconds later. That’s on us to manage it better. -Bruce Cassidy

Overtimes are significantly on the rise this season, but Vegas is on a historic pace. In 2023-24, the Golden Knights had as many OTLs as the current team does now. Even last season VGK ended the regular season with ten overtime losses. Don’t expect them to reach it, but the Golden Knights are now on pace for 26.

If you browse through past seasons’ standings, you’ll notice most teams with ten or more overtime losses fail to make the playoffs. Last year, only the Canadiens and Golden Knights qualified for the postseason out of 12 teams with ten or more OTLs. However, the season before, five teams were in the playoffs with 10+ loser points.

After the loss to Montreal, the Golden Knights are at risk of going into December with fewer than 30 points. That will put them on pace for 94.5 points, likely below the postseason cut line considering all the additional points from the high rate of overtimes. Last season, the St. Louis Blues were the last team to get in with 96 total points. At this rate, you have to assume Vegas will be battling the rest of the way to earn their way into the playoffs.

Especially, since they tiptoed over the Thanksgiving benchmark with mild success.