Leo’s Hockey Report: Golden Knights hitting the jackpot early in the season

Members of the Golden Knights celebrating a goal. (Submitted: Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images)

The Golden Knights have hit the jackpot in the early part of the National Hockey League (NHL) season.  

Vegas has become a large hockey market. The Golden Knights have found success in the nine years they have been a franchise. Those in the organization know when to hold their cards, when to fold and never count their money when they are sitting at the table. 

Vegas has five wins and two overtime losses to start the 2025-26 season. The team turned things around after having a somewhat rocky start. Vegas began the year with a 6-5 shootout loss to Los Angeles. That loss was followed by a win against San Jose and another extra time defeat at the hands of Seattle.  

Since then, Vegas has been on a hot streak, winning four straight matches. Their last win was a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes. During the game, Vegas used a two-goal first and third period to shift the momentum in their favour.  

Goaltender Akira Schmid was another key part of the win. He entered the game in relief of Adin Hill, who left the game with an injury. 

The Bern, Switzerland native made 22 saves in relief. 

“It's hard and easy at the same time [to come into the game cold],” Schmid told reporters after the game. “You just jump in there. You don't really overthink it too much, like you might do when you're starting. You just kind of play and see how it goes.” 

Schmid has been one of the group this season. Vegas’ success comes from the goalie, as well as a group of high-quality forwards who have consistently put the puck in the net.

Jack Eichel has led the charge this season. The Massachusetts native has 16 points in seven games, good enough for a top spot in the NHL. He has also been a force on the Golden Knights’ power play. Eight of Eichel’s 16 points have come when Vegas has an extra man on the ice. 

With a shiny new contract in hand, Eichel has played some of the best hockey of his career. Some have started putting him in the conversation for the Art Ross and Hart Trophy.

Eichel has benefited from a supporting cast in the first seven games of the 2025-26 season.

Forward Mitch Marner was brought over from Toronto in the offseason. He is off to a successful start to his Golden Knights career.  

Marner has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) to start the season. He is on pace for 117 points, which would break his career high of 102 points with the Maple Leafs last season.  

Look away, Toronto fans.

Mark Stone is completing the three-headed monster. The Vegas Captain sits second in the NHL in points. Stone has 13 points, three behind Eichel. Yet, Stone will be out of the lineup for an extended period with an injury.  

Noah Hanafin and Tomas Hertl have also contributed to the early season success.  

Marner and Eichel are paid the big bucks to score the goals and produce in big moments, as is Stone. However, someone who has stepped up this season is Pavel Dorofeyev. 

Dorofeyev had a breakout year last season with the Golden Knights. He started the season in the shadows of the squad. Someone with a bright future who had shown flashes the year before. Very few Knights fans went as far as to view him as a pure sniper. 

Those question marks were dashed rather quickly. Dorofeyev finished the year with 52 points (35 goals, 17 assists) in 82 games. All three were career highs. 

Going into the new season, many fans felt he was poised to put up similar numbers.

Dorofeyev started the season with five goals in three games. He continued his dominance by scoring two more goals in the next four matches. These numbers are good for a tie at the top of the league’s scoring numbers. 

“About a year and a half ago, I was a rotational player,” Dorofeyev told NHL.com. “I think I played in 47 games the year before and the following season I was in the lineup every night. That’s where the better stats came from, more ice time and being on the first power-play unit. That’s what made the difference.” 

With the Golden Knights’ early season dominance, the question is: when will their hot streak come to an end? 

Vegas is going into a three-game Eastern road swing, starting this weekend in Florida and Tuesday in Carolina.  

This weekend’s games in Florida could be seen as an early Stanley Cup preview. 

No one really knows when the Golden Knights will cool off and lose a game in regulation. All fans can do is enjoy the new form of entertainment taking place on the Las Vegas strip.