Morning Skate Report: April 24, 2022
Vegas wraps up home schedule against Sharks
NOTES
Vegas and San Jose will close their season series on Sunday. The Golden Knights are 2-0-0 against the Sharks this year.
The Golden Knights are on an 11-game win streak against the Sharks dating back to 2019.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: FOX Sports 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT
On Sunday, April 24, the team will host Fan Appreciation Night at T-Mobile Arena when the Golden Knights play the San Jose Sharks. The final home game of the regular season begins at 7 p.m. PT and the contest is presented by Southern Nevada Toyota Dealers Association. Before the game, Deryk Engelland will be signing autographs inside a Toyota tent on Toshiba Plaza. Fans will receive a special "Knight Light" giveaway courtesy of Toyota, as well as an exclusive poster featuring the 2021-22 Golden Knights team photo, when entering T-Mobile Arena on Sunday.
The final home game will also feature a postgame "Jerseys Off Our Backs" event presented by Homie where players will take the ice after the game and hand-deliver game-worn jerseys to select winners. The team will also host their annual regular season awards ceremony presented by T-Bird Jewels, with winners receiving a special commemorative watch. Three total awards will be given to the winning players, including a Vegas Golden Knights First Star Award as determined by 'stars of the game' voting at home games; Vegas Strong Service Award for the player most involved in serving and giving back to the Vegas community; and Seventh Player Award for the player who most exceeded expectations on the ice.
LAST TIME OUT
Vegas picked up a thrilling 4-3 overtime win against the Washington Capitals on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena. Shea Theodore scored 2:05 into overtime for his team-leading third overtime goal this season. Alec Martinez, Evgenii Dadonov and Chandler Stephenson also scored for Vegas in the team's 42nd win of the year.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
San Jose enters the last week of the season well out of playoff contention with a 31-35-12 record and 74 points. The Sharks are 2-5-4 this month and are coming off a 4-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks. Timo Meier leads the team in scoring with 75 points (34G, 41A) with Tomas Hertl in second with 63 points (29G, 34A).
SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights have picked up two wins in two tries against the Sharks this season. Vegas earned a 4-1 win in San Jose on Feb. 20 as Jack Eichel scored his first goal as a Golden Knight and Logan Thompson earned his first NHL win. On March 1, Reilly Smith scored two goals to help Vegas to a 3-1 victory as Pete DeBoer picked up his 500th NHL win as a head coach.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jonathan Marchessault - 64 points (29G, 35A)
Chandler Stephenson - 59 points (19G, 40A)
Shea Theodore - 48 points (14G, 34A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 42 points (13G, 29A)
Evgenii Dadonov - 41 points (20G, 21A)
Reilly Smith - 38 points (16G, 22A)
Nicolas Roy - 36 points (14G, 22A)
William Karlsson - 32 points (11G, 21A)
Max Pacioretty - 32 points (16G, 16A)
Mark Stone - 28 points (8G, 20A)
WILD, WILD WEST
The race for the postseason is on in the Western Conference. Read below for the latest playoff picture as the end of the regular season approaches. Note: the top three teams in each division receive automatic playoff berths with two Wild Card spots available for the two teams with the next highest point totals.
PACIFIC DIVISION
y-Calgary Flames - 49-20-10, 108 points, three games remaining
x-Edmonton Oilers - 46-26-6, 98 points, six games remaining
Los Angeles Kings - 43-27-10, 96 points, four games remaining
CENTRAL DIVISION
z-Colorado Avalanche - 55-17-6, 116 points, four games remaining
x-Minnesota Wild - 50-21-7, 107 points, four games remaining
x-St. Louis Blues - 48-20-11, 107 points, three games remaining
WILD CARD
Nashville Predators - 44-29-5, 93 points, four games remaining
Dallas Stars - 44-30-5, 93 points, three games remaining
Vegas Golden Knights - 42-31-5, 89 points, four games remaining
Vancouver Canucks - 38-28-11, 87 points, three games remaining
x-clinched playoff berth
y-clinched division
z-clinched conference
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 214th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a season sweep of San Jose this year
KEYS TO THE GAME
Just Win, Baby: Vegas needs every win it can get in the final week of the regular season. The Golden Knights will look to add to their historic success against the Sharks.
Rest is a Weapon:The Golden Knights have been off since Wednesday's win against Washington. With a few days to recharge, Vegas will aim to use its rest to its advantage.
