(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Last night, the Golden Knights’ seven-game win streak was broken by the Philadelphia Flyers. Beneficially, it was an out-of-conference loss, and the points weren’t awarded to a team in the Pacific. At the moment, Vegas sits two points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and seven points ahead of the ‘we won’t go away’ San Jose Sharks. Starting Thursday, the Golden Knights can extend their position with another successful Eastern Conference road trip. Which sets off Vegas’ final nine games before the Olympic break.

VGK’s Next 9 Games (To Make Playoff %)

@ BOS (68.2%)
@ TOR (20.6%)
@ OTT (16.7%)
@ MTL (77.4%)
vs. DAL (98.6%)
vs. SEA (38.5%)
@ ANA (46.3%)
vs. VAN (0.1%)
vs. LAK (56.9%)

Over their nine matchups, the Golden Knights will face four teams with a 50% chance or better to qualify for the postseason, according to MoneyPuck. At the moment, Vegas has a 96.3% chance of making the playoffs. This stretch before the Olympic break could set the Golden Knights up with some sense of security when they return on February 25th.

This season, it’s beneficial to be in a desirable position before the extended break. Without being gloomy, teams are clearly concerned with injuries occurring at the Olympic Games. And why shouldn’t they? Hockey fans are about to be blessed with a heavily competitive but extremely physical hockey tournament outside of the NHL playoffs. As we watched during the Four Nations Faceoff, country pride can be brutally painful for the players.

An unfortunate injury coupled with rust could sink some teams in late February. Which is why Vegas could greatly benefit by continuing their hot play right up until the break. Making their move for Rasmus Andersson before the roster freeze can only help the outcomes over the next nine puck drops.

When the Golden Knights flew east in December, they picked up nine points in five contests. If they repeat that success on their upcoming trip, it’ll put them in the driver’s seat for the final four Pacific division battles. Small detail, but there’s no concern with overtime or shootout results since they won’t be benefiting any Western conference contenders. It’s a different story when the Golden Knights return home.

The one element working against the Golden Knights is the scheduling. Vegas has three back-to-back situations. One set of games on the road, a home/road split, and another back-to-back at T-Mobile Arena. If the Golden Knights perform at their points percentage pace, they’ll have close to a double-digit lead over Anaheim, LA, San Jose, and Seattle. They can worry about Edmonton in March.