Mark Stone was named the first captain in Vegas Golden Knights history Wednesday as he will don the "C" for the first time Thursday.
Alex Pietrangelo will make his Golden Knights debut after signing a seven-year contract with Vegas during the offseason.
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YEAR THREE RECAP
The Vegas Golden Knights began what was a normal season at the time on Oct. 2 with a 4-1 win against the San Jose Sharks at T-Mobile Arena as the team hit the ice for its third year in the NHL. Vegas was among the top teams in the Pacific Division through the first three months of the season, but a losing spell in January saw the end of the tenure of head coach Gerard Gallant. Pete DeBoer took over the reins and the Golden Knights found their stride as the team won 11-of-13 games heading into the second week of March. On March 12, the NHL season was paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the Golden Knights resumed play in Edmonton for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs in August. After claiming the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference in round robin play, Vegas skated through the Chicago Blackhawks in five games and outlasted the Vancouver Canucks in a seven-game series in the second round. In the Western Conference Final, the Golden Knights were defeated by the Dallas Stars in five games.
2019-20 SEASON SERIES
Vegas and Anaheim met four times during the 2019-20 season as the Golden Knights won three of the head-to-head matchups. The Golden Knights skated to a 5-2 victory on Oct. 27 at T-Mobile Arena before the Ducks claimed their only win of the season series, 4-3, exactly two months later. Vegas picked up another 5-2 win on Dec. 31 and won a dramatic overtime contest on Feb. 23 in a 6-5 thriller at Honda Center.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
When the Ducks take the ice Thursday night, it will be for their first game action in 309 days as Anaheim hasn't played since March 12 against St. Louis. Anaheim did not qualify for the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, thus was able to open training camp on Dec. 31 rather than Jan. 3. The Ducks finished sixth in the Pacific Division in 2019-20 with 67 points (29-33-9) in 71 games.
Adam Henrique was the leading scorer for the Ducks last season with 43 points (26G, 17A) in 71 games. Rickard Rakell (15G, 27A) and Ryan Getzlaf (13G, 29A) each posted 42 points for Anaheim while Cam Fowler (9G, 20A) was the team's highest-scoring defenseman with 29 points.
WESTERN ROUNDUP
One game has been played in the Honda West Division entering Thursday as the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Avalanche opened the season Wednesday night. The Blues claimed a 4-1 victory to snag the first pair of points in regular season
VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEM SCRATCHES
Stay tuned to @GoldenKnights on Twitter for official updates on the team lineup.
KEYS TO THE GAME PRESENTED BY TOYOTA
Home Sweet Home: The Golden Knights are playing their first game at T-Mobile Arena since March 3. Though the crowd won't be there to support the team, Vegas will need to feed off their home ice advantage.
Minute Munchers: Vegas has elected to start the season with 13 forwards and five defensemen. The team will look to Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore, Alec Martinez, Brayden McNabb and Zach Whitecloud for all of the defensive responsibilities Thursday night.
