Morning Skate Report: Feb. 1, 2022
Golden Knights return home to face Sabres
NOTES
Vegas is playing its first home game since Jan. 20 when the Golden Knights beat the Montreal Canadiens, 4-3, in overtime.
Tuesday's game is the final game before NHL All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas. Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo and Pete DeBoer will represent the Golden Knights at the events.
Buffalo forwards Alex Tuch, Cody Eakin and Peyton Krebs are returning to T-Mobile Arena for the first time as visiting players. Tuch and Eakin joined the Golden Knights for the 2017-18 season and Krebs was Vegas' first round draft pick in 2019.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: ESPN+/Hulu
Radio: FOX Sports 98.9/1340
LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION
The Vegas Golden Knights announced today, January 28, that the organization will have Lunar New Year celebrations at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, February 1 when the team hosts the Buffalo Sabres. The Golden Knights and Sabres are scheduled to play at 7 p.m. PT on Tuesday night. 2022 officially marks the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac related to the Chinese calendar. The game is presented by Resorts World.
During warmups, the Golden Knights will celebrate Lunar New Year by wearing specialty jerseys, featuring player last names in Mandarin, that will be signed and available for purchase through an online auction. Locker nameplates will be bundled with the warmup jerseys. Fans can visit LunarNewYear.givesmart.com or text "LunarNewYear" to 76278. The auction will begin at 5:45 p.m. PT and conclude at the 10:00 minute mark of the third period.
Warmup pucks will also be for sale inside the arena after the game begins, with a limited number available for sale outside Section 11. A portion of the proceeds from the team's Lunar New Year activations will benefit a scholarship through the Asian Chamber of Commerce. The Arsenal at City National Arena will have a limited supply of shirts, pucks and sweatshirts as part of the initiative.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights wrapped up their four-game road trip with a 3-2 shootout victory against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday night at Amalie Arena. Brett Howden and William Carrier scored in regulation for Vegas to set the stage for a seven-round shootout in which Mark Stone delivered the game-winning goal.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Buffalo enters Tuesday's contest in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with 35 points and a 14-23-7 record. The Sabres dropped their last outing to Colorado, 4-1, and will look to improve on the team's 4-5-1 record it has put up in the last 10 games. Tuesday's game is the last of a four-game road trip for the Sabres on which the team has gone 1-2-0 through three games.
Tage Thompson is the top scorer in Buffalo this season with 29 points (14G, 15A) through 40 games. Jeff Skinner (16G, 12A) and Rasmus Dahlin (7G, 21A) are tied for second in scoring on the team with 28 points each. Former Golden Knight Alex Tuch has posted 12 points (4G, 8A) in 12 games since returning from injury.
WHEN LAST WE MET…
Vegas and Buffalo last shared the ice on Feb. 28, 2020, when the Golden Knights picked up a 4-2 win in Robin Lehner's first start with the team. Reilly Smith scored twice in the win while William Karlsson and Nicolas Roy also scored for Vegas. When the teams met earlier that season on Jan. 14, 2020, the Sabres defeated the Golden Knights, 4-2. Jack Eichel notched two points (1G, 1A) including the game-winning goal for Buffalo in that contest.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Chandler Stephenson - 38 points (12G, 26A)
Shea Theodore - 31 points (8G, 23A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 30 points (19G, 11A)
Reilly Smith - 29 points (11G, 18A)
Mark Stone - 26 points (7G, 19A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 26 points (6G, 20A)
Max Pacioretty - 21 points (12G, 9A)
Evgenii Dadonov - 21 points (10G, 11A)
Nicolas Roy - 21 points (8G, 13A)
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 200th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 5-4-3 record since Jan. 1
KEYS TO THE GAME
Harness Saturday's Energy: The Golden Knights snatched two points from the two-time defending Stanley Cup Champions with Saturday's win against the Lightning. Vegas will need to channel that effort and apply it to a Buffalo team that hasn't had near the same success.
Don't Look Ahead: Vegas won't play again until next Tuesday in Edmonton after NHL All-Star Weekend. It's important the team doesn't overlook Tuesday's matchup against the Sabres.
