We have a weird entry today on this NHL Saturday miniseries: the Vegas Golden Knights, who have only been in existence for six seasons. But oh, they’ve been pretty good seasons so far! Five times the Golden Knights have made the postseason, including the current one where they’re one game away from reaching the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in their short existence. What is even more off is that Vegas is on its third head coach already. Go figure …

Note: We have not included the current season’s teams in our rankings lists for this miniseries.

No. 5: 2018-19 Vegas Golden Knights

A third-place finish in the Pacific Division was good enough for a playoff berth, thanks to a 43-32-7 record for 93 points. But this team was just No. 14 in the overall SRS rankings, with the No. 13 offense and the No. 10 defense. In the postseason, they faced off against the San Jose Sharks—and the series went to a Game 7 in San Jose. That’s where the wheels came off for the Golden Knights in epic fashion, blowing 3-0 lead in the third period and losing in overtime.

Four skaters topped 50 points: center Jonathan Marchessault (25G, 34A, 52 PIMs), C William Karlsson (24G, 32A), right wing Reilly Smith (19G, 34A), and RW Alex Tuch (20G, 32A). Veteran goaltender Marc-André Fleury (35-21-5, 8 shutouts) continued his career resurgence in the desert. Vegas went up 3-1 in the series against the Sharks, but losing Game 6 at home in double overtime proved costly—as did the controversial penalty against C Cody Eakin in Game 7.

No. 4: 2019-20 Vegas Golden Knights

In the Covid-interrupted season, a 39-24-8 record for 86 points was good enough to earn first place in the Pacific Division. The team changed coaches midseason, too, but it still managed a No. 9 ranking in the overall SRS. The offense was No. 9 and the defense was No. 13, as well. In the first round of the delayed postseason, the Golden Knights beat the Chicago Blackhawks in 5 games and the Vancouver Canucks in 7 games before losing to the Dallas Stars in 5 games.

Left wing Max Pacioretty (32G, 34A, 44 PIMs), RW Mark Stone (21G, 42A), and Smith (27G, 27A) were the only skaters to clear the 50-point mark during the regular season, while Fleury (27-16-5, 5 shutouts) got the bulk of the starts for Vegas. But it was G Robin Lehner who got the shutout win in Game 7 at home against the Canucks. Yet the Golden Knights lost four 1-goal games against Dallas—two in overtime. In fact, the Stars won the final 3 games in a row to end it.

No. 3: 2021-22 Vegas Golden Knights

This is the only team in franchise history to miss the postseason, thanks to a fourth-place finish in the Pacific. However, with a 43-31-8 record and 94 points, these Golden Knights still finished No. 14 in the overall SRS rankings with the No. 12 scoring offense and the No. 15 scoring defense. They finished three points out of a postseason slot in the Western Conference, mostly because other teams were better at earning shootout wins: Vegas was eighth in regulation victories.

Marchessault (30G, 36A, 36 PIMs), C Chandler Stephenson (21G, 43A), and defenseman Shea Theodore (14G, 38A) were the only players to crack 50 points on the year. Lehner (23-17-2, 1 SO) got the most starts in net, but combined, his two backups (20-14-6, 2 SOs) might have been better. Down the stretch, the Golden Knights really struggled, too: in the final 11 games, Vegas posted a 4-3-4 record to fall out of the playoff chase. Those pesky shootouts really killed this team.

No. 2: 2017-18 Vegas Golden Knights

Imagine an expansion team reaching the Super Bowl in the NFL, and the thought is funny. But this first Vegas team did just that, posting a 51-24-7 record for 109 points to reach the Stanley Cup Finals in its first season. What?! Yep. The Golden Knights swept the Los Angeles Kings in the first round, and then they beat the Sharks in six and the Winnipeg Jets in five to advance to the Finals. However, they ran into another team of destiny there in the Washington Capitals.

Ranking fifth in the SRS overall, Vegas boasted the No. 4 offense and the No. 8 defense. Scoring wise, it was Karlsson (43G, 35A) and Marchessault (27G, 48A, 40 PIMs) leading the way. In net, Fleury (29-13-4, 4 SOs) and Malcolm Subban (13-4-2) were sublime. Overall, four different goalies won at least one game for the Golden Knights. The playoffs were a relative waltz, too, until the Finals, where the Caps won in five games, easily: Vegas won Game 1 and then crashed hard.

No. 1: 2020-21 Vegas Golden Knights

The best team in franchise history dominated the West Division in the Covid-recovery season, finishing first with a 40-14-2 record for 82 points. This team was No. 1 in the overall SRS rankings, thanks to the No. 3 offense and the No. 1 defense. But it took 7 games to eliminate the Minnesota Wild in the first round, and that had a lasting effect on the Golden Knights. They did manage to beat Colorado in six games, but then they lost to the Montréal Canadiens in six.

Stone (21G, 40A) and Pacioretty (24G, 27A) were tops in scoring this time around, as eight skaters managed at least 32 points in this shortened season. Fleury (26-10-0, 6 SOs) and Lehner (13-4-2, 1 SO) combined for a very capable duo in the crease, as well. Against the Wild, Vegas went up 3-1 before having to win a Game 7 at home, and we all know wasted energy in the Cup playoffs is bad. Against the Habs, there were four 1-goal games … and Montréal won three of them.