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The Vegas Golden Knights (31-15-5) conclude their three-game homestand to host the Columbus Blue Jackets (24-19-7) for the first time this season on Thursday at 7 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Vegas 34
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460

NOTESThe Golden Knights will host their first ever Asian American and Pacific Islander Knight presented by Zappos.com. The celebration will spotlight special guests such as Chinese New Year in the Desert and the Las Vegas Asian Chamber of Commerce, who will be honored at the game. A chinese dragon will join the VGK cast for the March to The Fortress before the game begins.

Tomas Hertl carries a 10-game point streak into Thursday's game during which he has notched 14 points (8G, 6A).

Pavel Dorofeyev scored his team-leading 10th power-play goal Tuesday night. This season, the Golden Knights are ranked second in the league with a 28.3% power-play percentage.

Vegas is second among the NHL with a home record of 19-6-2 and fourth with a .741% point percentage.

VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Brayden McNabb – Four assists away from 100 assists as a Golden Knight
Ivan Barbashev – Six points away from 100 points as a Golden Knight
Adin Hill – Six games away from 100 games as a Golden Knight
Shea Theodore – Six games away from 500 games as a Golden Knight

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Tanner Pearson – Five games away from 700 career games
Nicolas Roy – Seven assists away from 100 career assists

VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 64 points (16G, 48A)
Mark Stone – 46 points (13G, 33A)
Shea Theodore – 44 points (6G, 38A)
Tomas Hertl – 40 points (19G, 21A)
Ivan Barbashev – 33 points (15G, 18A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 33 points (22G, 11A)
Alex Pietrangelo – 25 points (3G, 22A)

LAST TIME OUT
The Vegas Golden Knights fell short, 4-3, in overtime in their final outing against the Dallas Stars Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena. Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl, and Pavel Dorofeyev each found the back of the net in the loss. Vegas had a 3-1 lead early in the second period, but Wyatt Johnston scored the game's final three goals to lift the Stars to the overtime victory. Mark Stone picked up two assists to hit the 200-assist mark as a Golden Knight.

2023-24 SEASON SERIES
In the 2023-24 season, the Golden Knights posted a 1-1-0 record against the Columbus Jackets. The first meeting between the two teams was on March 4, 2024, when the Blue Jackets doubled up Vegas, 6-3, at Nationwide Arena. Mason Morelli tallied his third goal as a Golden Knight in the loss. William Karlsson scored against Columbus that night to notch his 400th career point and his 350th as a Golden Knight. In the second and final meeting between the two teams last season, the Golden Knights earned a 4-2 win against the Blue Jackets on March 23 at T-Mobile Arena. Eichel (2G) and Shea Theodore (2A) led the team with two points apiece. Eichel reached 500 career points in the win to become the fifth-fastest active American skater to do so (527 GP). Ivan Barbashev and Dorofeyev also scored for Vegas in the win.

OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Columbus Blue Jackets enter Thursday's matchup ranked fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 24-19-7 and 55 points. The Blue Jackets have gone 8-3-1 in January so far and head into Vegas to start their back-to-back road trip to close out the month. Their most recent win came from a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings at home. Zach Werenski leads the team with 54 points (16G, 38A), with Kirill Marchenko following closely with 53 points (20G, 33A), and Sean Monahan with 41 points (14G, 27A).

PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Edmonton Oilers – 32-15-3, 67 points
Vegas Golden Knights – 31-15-5, 67 points
Los Angeles Kings – 26-16-6, 58 points
Vancouver Canucks – 23-17-10, 56 points
Calgary Flames – 24-18-7, 55 points
Anaheim Ducks – 21-23-6, 48 points
Seattle Kraken – 22-27-3, 47 points
San Jose Sharks – 15-32-6, 36 points

A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
- Mark the 344th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 7-6-0 all-time record against Columbus
- Give the Golden Knights a 20-6-2 record at home this season

KEYS TO THE GAMES
Seal the Deal: Despite Vegas taking a 3-1 lead on Tuesday night, Dallas was able to fight back and eventually win 4-3 in overtime. Mark Stone mentioned how the team liked the beginning stretches of the game while realizing the priority of keeping the foot on the gas pedal. To end this homestand strong, the Golden Knights need to keep up the momentum for the full sixty minutes.

New Faces, Same Game: The Golden Knights are meeting the Columbus Jackets for the first time this season. Head coach Bruce Cassidy talked about sticking to the basics and the same mentality of their game, needed to succeed in front of the home crowd.

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