The Vegas Golden Knights (28-9-3) host the New York Islanders (15-18-7) for their first matchup of the 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
NOTES
The Golden Knights have won nine of their last 10 games, outscoring opponents 38-17 in that stretch.
Vegas is the least penalized team in the NHL, with 219 total PIM for the season.
The Golden Knights have moved back into the top spot in the NHL, leading the league with 59 points and a points percentage of .738.
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Alex Pietrangelo – Five games away from 300 games as a Golden Knight
Brayden McNabb – Seven assists away from 100 assists as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Victor Olofsson – One goal away from 100 career goals
Victor Olofsson – Three assists away from 100 career assists
Victor Olofsson – Four points away from 200 career points
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 53 points (11G, 42A)
Mark Stone – 35 points (11G, 24A)
Shea Theodore – 33 points (4G, 29A)
Ivan Barbashev – 30 points (15G, 15A)
Tomas Hertl – 26 points (11G, 15A)
Brett Howden – 21 points (15G, 6A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 21 points (14G, 7A)
Noah Hanifin – 21 points (6G, 15A)
Alex Pietrangelo – 21 points (3G, 18A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights defeated the San Jose Sharks, 4-2, on Tuesday night at SAP Center. Mark Stone, Zach Whitecloud, Victor Olofsson, and Tomas Hertl all netted goals against the Sharks, with Stone’s goal marking his 100th as a Golden Knight. Both Shea Theodore (2A) and Stone (1G, 1A) had two points on the win, and Ilya Samsonov made 20 saves on 22 shots to get his sixth consecutive win, the most from a Vegas goaltender since 2022-23.
2023-24 SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights had a 2-0-0 season sweep against the New York Islanders in the 2023-24 season. In their first meeting on Jan. 6, 2024 at T-Mobile Arena, Jack Eichel and Nicolas Roy hit the back of the net twice, with Pavel Dorofeyev also tallying a goal and Keegan Kolesar notching two assists in the 5-2 win. In their final meeting of the season on Jan. 24, 2024, Brock Nelson and Jean-Gabriel Pageau scored for the Islanders, but Adin Hill had a 40-save game in his return from injury to secure the 3-2 win.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The New York Islanders have a record of 15-18-7 and 37 points, sitting ninth in the Eastern Conference, with an 8-9-5 record on the road. The Islanders have four wins in their last ten games played, with their most recent coming from a 5-4 overtime win against the Bruins on Sunday night. Their captain, Anders Lee, leads the team in points with 32 (18G, 14A), followed by Bo Horvat with 29 (12G, 17A) and Kyle Palmieri with 26 (12G, 14A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights –28-9-3, 59 points
Edmonton Oilers – 25-12-3, 53 points
Los Angeles Kings – 23-10-5, 51 points
Vancouver Canucks – 18-12-10, 46 points
Calgary Flames – 19-14-7, 45 points
Anaheim Ducks – 17-18-5, 39 points
Seattle Kraken – 17-21-3, 37 points
San Jose Sharks – 13-24-6, 32 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
- Mark the 341st win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 6-4-2 all-time record against the Islanders
- Give the Golden Knights an 18-4-0 record at home this season
KEYS TO THE GAMES
Bought In: Vegas is a team built upon trust in each other and trust in their coaching staff. A phrase repeated by Head Coach Bruce Cassidy is that the team ‘buys in’ to what the coaches provide for them. Cassidy mentioned postgame from San Jose that the players are self-correcting things that went wrong on the bench before he could say anything and that they’re dialed into the game plan.
Relentless Resolve: The Golden Knights find ways to win, even despite teams attempting comebacks or falling behind. Shea Theodore said that the team did a good job of slowing down San Jose’s comeback on Tuesday and getting back to their game, that the team found different ways to score and played the correct way to dig out the win.
