Analyzing Every NHL Team in the Western Conference Wild-Card Race

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Current record: 36-25-7 (79 points)

Current standing: Second wild-card spot

Current point pace: 95.2 points

Record needed for 95 points: 7-6-1

Many in the NHL have spent so much time discussing the exploitation of the LTIR rules and their trade-deadline acquisitions that we have kind of ignored the fact that the Stanley Cup champions are far from a lock to make the playoffs.

The Vegas Golden Knights are very much on the bubble and have, quite honestly, been a bad team far more often than they have been good this season.

Since starting the season 11-0-1, they have gone just 25-25-6 in the 56 games since then with some ordinary underlying numbers.

In their defense, injuries have played a big part in that. Jack Eichel, William Karlsson and Shea Theodore have all missed significant time, Mark Stone is out long-term, and even trade-deadline addition Tomáš Hertl is still out of the lineup.

Those injury situations allowed them to get the salary-cap flexibility to make the trades for Hertl, Anthony Mantha and Noah Hanifin. And given where they are in the standings, they needed every single one of them.

If the Golden Knights get into the playoffs and stay healthy, they will be a formidable team and one of the most dangerous No. 8 seeds you could imagine.

However, that is a lot of “ifs,” and they are not quite in the playoffs. At least not just yet, especially with a 5-10-1 record over their past 16 games that is leaving the door open for the three teams behind them.

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