Golden Knights At Kings: 3 Keys To The Game

Onto the national stage the Golden Knights go.
Following last night's win against the Anaheim Ducks - Vegas' fifth in a row and ninth in its last 10 games - the Golden Knights play on national TV on NBCSN on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings.
And man oh man, this one is shaping up to be a doozie.
Vegas' hot streak collides with LA, which has won two of its past three and at 22-11-4, is in second place in the Pacific Division. Exactly two points behind the Golden Knights.
A regulation win would draw the Kings even, while a regulation win for the Golden Knights would give Vegas a four-point edge.
Here are three keys to tonight's game. It starts at 7:00 PM.

1. These Two Stand Alone
All season, the Golden Knights and Kings have jockeyed for position atop the Pacific Division. And no other team has been even close.
To date, Vegas and LA are separated by just two points, with no other team (San Jose is third) within six points of the Kings and eight points of the Golden Knights.
But with this back and forth has been few contests between the two foes. The only other contest between the Golden Knights and Kings came on November 19 - a 4-2 Vegas win at T-Mobile Arena. This is the teams' first-ever meeting at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Although there's more than half of the regular season remaining, tonight is a significant measuring stick game.
If the Golden Knights were to win, they'd have a 2-0-0 record against the Kings and have a four-point edge in the Pacific Division standings. They could also potentially have a three-point lead atop the Western Conference, while a win would also improve Vegas to 11-1-0 against divisional opponents.
If the Kings were to win, however, things would seem more even. Although the Golden Knights having played two fewer games guarantees Vegas will exit Thursday atop the division, the teams would be tied in points should LA win. The season series would be even, too, making the teams way more equal than a two-game Golden Knights win would suggest.
Either way, Vegas and LA will both exit tonight as the top two teams in the Pacific Division, with hefty margins on everyone else. Tonight's outcome will more begin revealing what the gap is between these two teams.
2. Offense Vs. Defense
The Golden Knights' offense doesn't seem to have off nights. Vegas scored four more goals last night, and has scored at least four goals in three of its past five games.

In total, the Golden Knights have now scored 121 goals in 35 games this season. This 3.74 goals per game is tops in the Western Conference.
The Kings, meanwhile, have given up only 85 goals in 37 games. This 2.30 goals-against average is best in the NHL.
The Golden Knights and Kings have been in a similar spot in the standings all year. Their formulas, however, have been significantly different.
3. Fleury In Goal?

For the Kings, the time-tested approach has been to ride 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Quick in goal. The Golden Knights, of course, have used five different goalies this season.
By starting Malcolm Subban on Wednesday in Anaheim, it suggested that the Golden Knights would return to Marc-Andre Fleury tonight, in the second half of the back-to-back.
Worth noting is that Fleury is unbeaten in regulation since returning from a concussion on December 12 (3-0-1). He has a 2.00 goals-against average and .952 save percentage during this time.