Morning Skate Report: April 2, 2024

The Vegas Golden Knights (41-25-8) take on the Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks (46-20-8) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Scripps Sports (Vegas 34 in Vegas; full network), KTNV-TV13
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340
Streaming: KnightTime+

NOTES
Monday's game is the third meeting between Vegas and Vancouver this season. The two clubs have split the series record, 1-1-0.

The Golden Knights are 7-2-1 in their last 10 contests, while the Canucks have gone 6-3-1.

William Karlsson can extend his point streak (1G, 5A) to five games on Tuesday.

VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Jonathan Marchessault – three goals away from tying the franchise single-season goal record (William Karlsson, 43)
Ivan Barbashev – three games away from 100 games played as a Golden Knight
William Karlsson – six games away from 500 games played as a Golden Knight
Brayden McNabb- six games away from 500 games played as a Golden Knight

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Ben Hutton – two assists away from 100 career assists
Jack Eichel – two assists away from 300 career assists
Brett Howden – two points away from 100 career points
Logan Thompson - two games away from 100 career games

VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jonathan Marchessault – 63 points (40G, 23A)
Jack Eichel – 57 points (25G, 32A)
Mark Stone – 53 points (16G, 37A)
William Karlsson – 52 points (25G, 27A)
Chandler Stephenson – 46 points (15G, 31A)

LAST TIME OUT
The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild in a 2-1 overtime contest on Saturday at the Xcel Energy Center, capping off a four-game road trip in which they earned seven of eight available points. Despite the Wild scoring first, Michael Amadio tied it up to send it to extra time. Jonathan Marchessault tallied his 40th goal of the season and his second overtime goal of the road trip to send the Golden Knights home with two points.

2023-24 SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights and Canucks have split their season series so far, as Vegas came away with a 4-1 win on Nov. 30 at Rogers Arena and Vancouver answered back with a 3-1 victory on March 7 at The Fortress. In November, four straight Vegas goals from Ivan Barbashev, Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Brett Howden sealed the deal. The Canucks found a way to get on the board in the third for the 4-1 final. A visit to T-Mobile Arena just a few weeks ago saw Vancouver even the series at one as the Canucks jumped out to a quick lead and didn't let it go.

OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Vancouver Canucks just finished up a nine-game homestand with a 3-2 victory against the Anaheim Ducks. They head to Vegas for the start of a three-game road trip. With a 46-20-8 record, the Canucks lead the Pacific Division and are tied for the top spot in the West with 100 points. J.T. Miller is the club's leading scorer with 94 points (35G, 59A) on the season, while Elias Pettersson (84; 33G, 51A) and Quinn Hughes (82; 13G, 69A) sit just behind him. Vancouver's special teams are solid at 22.3% on the power play and 79.6% on the penalty kill. The Canucks have already clinched a berth in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

A VGK WIN WOULD...
-Mark the 309th win in franchise history
-Improve the Golden Knights' all-time record against the Canucks to 14-3-3
-Give Vegas the season series advantage before the teams face off again next week
-See the Golden Knights earn 92 points on the season

KEYS TO THE GAME
Score the First Goal: In the matchups between these teams so far this season, the club that scored the first goal skated away with the win. Vegas needs to get on the board first in order to gain the momentum to put Vancouver on their heels.

Goaltending: Goaltending has been solid the past few games as Logan Thompson has earned six straight wins and the NHL's second star of the week. He's let up just one goal in each of his past three starts and looks to continue backstopping Vegas to victory.

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