Golden Knights clinch division
The Vegas Golden Knights secured the Pacific Division’s top seed, locking their position as the NHL heads into the playoffs. (x.com) Social posts celebrating the clinch emphasize the team’s seeding and the playoff schedule about to start on national networks. (x.com)
Vegas locked up first place in the Pacific Division on Wednesday night with a 4-1 win over Seattle in its regular-season finale. (nhl.com) The Golden Knights finished 39-26-17 for 95 points, four clear of Edmonton and five ahead of Anaheim after both division rivals entered Thursday with one game left. (espn.com) Reilly Smith scored twice and added an assist, Mitch Marner and Shea Theodore also scored, and Carter Hart stopped 22 of 23 shots at T-Mobile Arena. (nhl.com) Vegas closed the regular season on a 10-game point streak at 7-0-3, and the club went 7-0-1 after John Tortorella took over behind the bench on March 29. (nhl.com) The division title gives Vegas home-ice advantage in its first-round Western Conference series against the Utah Mammoth, who secured the first wild-card spot on Tuesday. (nhl.com) The National Hockey League says the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs begin on Saturday, April 18, with the complete first-round schedule released separately. (nhl.com) This is Vegas' fifth Pacific Division title in nine seasons, and the team said no National Hockey League franchise has won more division titles since the Golden Knights entered the league in 2017-18. (nhl.com) The roster that sealed this one still runs through Jack Eichel and Mark Stone, and Wednesday's clincher also underscored Marner's impact after he reached 80 points in his first season with Vegas. (nhl.com, nhl.com) Vegas spent part of the stretch run down in third place before finishing on top, and Brayden McNabb said the group "found our game at the right time" before the playoffs. (nhl.com) Now the regular season is over in Las Vegas, the banner race is settled, and the Golden Knights head into Round 1 from the top line of the Pacific bracket. (nhl.com)
