Vegas Golden Knights defy the odds, reach the Stanley Cup Final with 39 wins
The Vegas Golden Knights stunned many by advancing to the 2026 Stanley Cup Final with just 39 wins (39-26-17, 95 points), fewer than several teams that missed the playoffs. Their path was aided by a heavy reliance on overtime losses for points and by winning a weak Pacific Division after firing head coach Bruce Cassidy with eight games left in the regular season. Teams with more wins, like the Oilers (41) and Ducks (43), missed the postseason due to their point totals, while Capitals (43 wins) also failed to reach the playoffs in the stronger Eastern Conference. The East–West gap drew comment from players such as Alex Ovechkin. Vegas closed the regular season 7-0-1 and went 12-4 in the playoffs to reach the 2026 Stanley Cup Final.