Vegas (42-29-6) was five points behind the San Jose Sharks for second place in the Pacific Division while playing the Minnesota Wild. The Golden Knights play at the Sharks on Saturday.
It is the second straight playoff berth for the Golden Knights, who won the division and made the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the Washington Capitals in five games, as an expansion team last season.
The Golden Knights are led by Jonathan Marchessault (56 points), William Karlsson (53), Reilly Smith (52) and Alex Tuch (51). They have five players with at least 20 goals: Marchessault (24), Karlsson (23), Max Pacioretty (22), Cody Eakin (20) and Tuch (20).
Marc-Andre Fleury (35-19-5, 2.46 goals-against average, .914 save percentage) is tied for second in the NHL in wins with Frederik Andersen of the Toronto Maple Leafs, behind Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning (37), and is tied with Sergei Bobrovsky for first in shutouts (eight).
Last season, Vegas became the third team in NHL history to reach the Stanley Cup Final in its inaugural season, joining the Toronto Arenas (1918) and St. Louis Blues (1968).
