Morning Skate Report: March 17, 2022
Vegas hosts Florida on St. Patrick's Day
NOTES
Vegas and Florida will close out their two-game season series with Thursday's game. The Panthers earned a 4-1 win on Jan. 27 in their first meeting.
Thursday's game is the first home game for the Golden Knights since defeating the Ottawa Senators, 2-1, on March 6.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: FOX Sports 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
ST. PATRICK'S DAY
During warmups, the Golden Knights will wear specialty themed jerseys which will be signed and for sale during the first period through VGK Authentics. All items will be sold on a first come, first served basis outside of Section 11. Player jerseys and locker nameplates will be bundled together, while pucks will be available separately. A portion of the proceeds from Thursday night will be donated to the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation to support green initiatives in the Las Vegas community. Additional gear and merchandise for St. Patrick's Day is available now at The Arsenal at City National Arena and The Armory at T-Mobile Arena.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights lost their fifth game in a row in a 7-3 defeat against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday night at Canada Life Centre. Alex Pietrangelo, Nicolas Roy, and Michael Amadio scored for Vegas in the last game of the team's five-game trip.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Florida enters Thursday's game as the top team in the Eastern Conference with 88 points and a 41-13-6 record. The Panthers have put together a 6-1-0 record through seven games in March and are coming off a 3-2 overtime win in San Jose on Tuesday night. Vegas is the third stop of a seven-game road trip for the Panthers that still have stops ahead in Anaheim, Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.
Jonathan Huberdeau ranks second in the league in scoring with 84 points (19G, 65A) in 60 games. Aleksandr Barkov has put up 60 points (26G, 34A) in 47 games and is tied for the league lead with four shorthanded goals. Sam Reinhart is close behind Barkov with 58 points (22G, 36A) while defenseman Aaron Ekblad leads all Florida blueliners with 54 points (15G, 39A). Barkov, Reinhard, Anthony Duclair (24G), Sam Bennett (24G) and Carter Verhaeghe (20G) have all hit the 20-goal mark.
SEASON SERIES
Vegas was defeated by Florida in their only prior meeting this season, 4-1, on Jan. 27 at FLA Live Arena. Zach Whitecloud scored the only goal for the Golden Knights in the first of two games between the clubs this season.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jonathan Marchessault - 47 points (25G, 22A)
Chandler Stephenson - 45 points (14G, 31A)
Reilly Smith - 38 points (16G, 22A)
Shea Theodore - 36 points (8G, 28A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 33 points (9G, 24A)
Max Pacioretty - 29 points (15G, 14A)
Mark Stone - 28 points (8G, 20A)
Nicolas Roy - 27 points (11G, 16A)
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Calgary Flames - 37-16-7, 81 points
Los Angeles Kings - 33-21-8, 74 points
Edmonton Oilers - 33-23-4, 70 points
Vegas Golden Knights - 32-26-4, 68 points
Vancouver Canucks - 30-24-7, 67 points
Anaheim Ducks - 27-25-11, 65 points
San Jose Sharks - 26-25-8, 60 points
Seattle Kraken - 18-38-6, 42 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 205th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights their first win against the Panthers this season
- Snap a five-game winless streak
KEYS TO THE GAME
Back to Basics: Vegas will look to use home ice to get back its winning form against the Panthers. The best way to snap a skid is to win at home.
March Madness: On paper right now, a Golden Knights win against the Panthers would be an upset. On the day the NCAA men's basketball tournament begins, upsets are commonplace.
