Why do Golden Knights keep winning? Let’s count the ways

A five-game trip eight months ago showed that the Golden Knights were falling apart. The one they just finished made them look better than ever.

In hopping from Philadelphia to Winnipeg back in March, the Knights went 0-5 in one of the most calamitous eight-day stretches in team history. They tumbled out of the playoff picture and never recovered.

The team’s latest journey from Washington to Buffalo in 11 days couldn’t have been more different. They didn’t just rise in the standings to 13-2. They pushed themselves far beyond their competition at the top.

After going 5-0 to extend their winning streak to nine games, the Knights lead the NHL by two points and the Western Conference and Pacific Division by eight. This team is already putting thoughts of a second consecutive playoff miss to bed.

The question now becomes: How far can this team go?

“We had a bad season (2021-22), so you never really know exactly how you’re going to start,” captain Mark Stone said. “But with the character in the locker room, the camp we had, the energy in the locker room, not surprised at how we’ve fared in the first 15.”

The Knights have shown they have just about everything a team could want.

Center Jack Eichel has reminded the hockey world he’s a star when healthy with 19 points, tied for eighth-most in the NHL. The entire forward group — including a standout fourth line — is contributing. The Knights have the NHL’s best depth scoring, with nine players at 10 points or more.

The blue line is also one of the league’s best groups top to bottom. Alex Pietrangelo is seventh among defensemen in scoring with 13 points. Shea Theodore is tied for 10th with 11. Their more defensive-minded partners — Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb — are first and tied for sixth in blocked shots, respectively.

Even the third pair, featuring Nic Hague and Zach Whitecloud, is getting singled out for praise. Ottawa coach D.J. Smith called them the best fifth and sixth defensemen in the NHL.

General manager Kelly McCrimmon said last month that he thought the blue line was “among the best in the NHL.”

The Knights’ goaltending also has been strong despite entering the season as the team’s biggest question mark. Rookie Logan Thompson and Adin Hill are tied for 11th in the NHL in save percentage at .925. That’s in part because of a strong defensive system from coach Bruce Cassidy that doesn’t ask the goalies to make a slew of difficult saves.

Beyond any of that, it’s clear this team enjoys playing together. Eichel’s teammates were so excited for his matchup with his former team in Buffalo on Thursday that they mobbed him on the ice after an assist rather than Pietrangelo, the goal scorer.

“We’re a tight group in here, and we all care about each other,” Eichel said. “We stick together.”

And now they’re back home, where they can tie the longest winning streak in franchise history when they host the St. Louis Blues on Saturday. The NHL record of 17 straight wins, set by the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins, is still a ways away.

The Knights have shown enough to set their sights on loftier goals. Owner Bill Foley stood by his “Cup in six” prediction when asked about it last month. His team has done everything in its power to keep him confident.

“We’re a team that’s still sorting through some stuff, but we’re making plays every night,” Cassidy said. “We’re finding ways to win, and different people are contributing.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.