Where do the golden knights stand?

Phoenix - The calendar has turned, and for the Vegas Golden Knights, April brings more questions than answers for a team that is usually ready to take the field for the postseason.

To get you back up to speed, the Golden Knights fired probably the top five coach in the NHL, Bruce Cassidy and hired John Tortorella in his place while, at the time, were eight games away from the regular season finale.

The move came at a critical time in the season when the Golden Knights were in third place in the Pacific Division, but had only the 19th-best record in the NHL at 33–26–16.

What felt like certainty at this point last season has now turned into uncertainty for the Golden Knights – but according to their new bench boss, Tortorella, not much is expected to change.

"I don't want to change too much," Tortorella said. "My variation is points of emphasis and mentality. I just want to see a toughness. When you talk about toughness, it's not body checking, it's not fighting. It's a general term, but there are a lot of headings underneath it, and it comes through in the mentality. That's what I want to train.

In this business, whether you are a player or a coach, I think you have to have the ability to accept challenges. Last year I was released from Philly with nine games left. Now I come here with eight games left. It's some crazy situations I've never been involved in before, but that's the league. That's pro sports." ("John Tortorella joins Golden Knights, focuses on mentality: 'I don't want to change too much,'athletic 3/30/26).

Ready or not, April is here, bringing with it several games that will show how the Golden Knights and the Pacific Division shape up. With little difference in the standings, small changes can change things in the blink of an eye.

April comes with a lot of uncertainty in the Pacific

It's no surprise that the Pacific Division remains one of the most unpredictable divisions in hockey. While the NHL standings take shape at the end of the season, the gap between teams in this division remains small enough that movement is still possible.

The difference is also very high compared to other divisions. The teams hanging around the playoff picture in the Pacific Region won't be in the mix elsewhere, which for better or worse shows how bad the division has been this season.

Here's how things are in the Pacific Division as of April 1:

The Canucks and New York Rangers are the only two teams that are officially out of the playoff race and are headed well into the Gavin McKenna sweepstakes. The Flames are also out of the playoff picture.

Outside of those two teams, things could get interesting. The Kraken and Sharks are in a similar position, each making a final push for the playoffs. Both have 75 points and are within reach of the second wild-card spot, which is currently held by the Nashville Predators with 77.

Kings is also an interesting case. They acquired Russian winger Artemi Panarin from the Rangers on February 5 and signed him to a two-year extension worth $22 million ($11 million AVA) shortly after, but he has gone 5-7-5 since his first game with the team after the Olympic break.

Now, two teams ahead of the Golden Knights. The Oilers have been all over the place this season. The standings show they aren't bad, but they also don't look like the Oilers team we've seen in years past.

Connor McDavid is still acting like Connor McDavid with 125 points in 75 games, but without Leon Draisaitl, who is out with an injury, there are some doubts.

And then there are the ducks. Who would have called for the Ducks entering April atop the Pacific Division? Not me. The Ducks have sole possession of first place in the division – but in 17 days, who knows what that will look like.

Schedule breakdown of Pacific Division teams

With the current layout of the Pacific Division, here's who each team will face in April – matchups that will ultimately determine the standings going forward.

Ducks: @Sharks, Blues, Flames, Predators, Sharks, Canucks, @Wild, @Predators

Oilers: Blackhawks, Golden Knights, @Mammoth, @Sharks, @Kings, @Avalanche, Canucks

Golden Knight: Flames, @Oilers, @Canucks, @Kraken, @Avalanche, Jets, Kraken

King: Blues, Predators, Maple Leafs, Predators, Canucks, Oilers, @Kraken, @Canucks, @Flames

Shark: Ducks, Maple Leafs, Predators, Blackhawks, Oilers, @Ducks, Canucks, @Predators, @Blackhawks, @Jets

Kraken: Mammoth, Blackhawks, @Jets, @Wild, Golden Knights, Flames, Kings, @GoldenKnights, @Avalanche

Flames: @GoldenKnights, @Ducks, @Stars, @Avalanche, @Kraken, Mammoth, Avalanche, Kings

Canucks: @Avalanche, @Wild, Mammoth, Golden Knights, @Kings, @Sharks, @Ducks, @Kings, @Oilers

The gap between top and middle is slim and with many teams gathering within reach of each other, it will come down to the final stage.

It will also depend on whether the Golden Knights can answer the bell. While not much will — or should — change with Tortorella behind the bench, we'll see if the spark that general manager Kelly McCrimmon talked about actually shows up in April.

“John has tremendous passion and tremendous energy,” McCrimmon said. "He's a great communicator. He's very well-respected in the industry, experienced, comfortable with himself. I think he's going to give our team a spark. I think so."

Cooper Krigbaum is a beat reporter covering the Vegas Golden Knights for Vegas Hockey Now on SportsNut. He also told about Cooper Krigbaum