NOTES
Vegas and Boston will close out their season series Thursday night. The Golden Knights won the first game between the clubs this season with a 4-1 win in Boston on Dec. 14.
Thursday's game is the first of back-to-back games for the Golden Knights as they will head to Anaheim to face the Ducks on Friday at 7 p.m.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: ESPN
Radio: FOX Sports 98.9/1340 | Deports Vegas 1460
LAST TIME OUT
Vegas snapped a two-game skid with a 3-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena. Keegan Kolesar opened the scoring before Reilly Smith's pair of goals gave the Golden Knights all they needed for their 11th straight win against San Jose. Head Coach Pete DeBoer picked up his 500th NHL victory as the Golden Knights hit the 30-win mark on the season.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Boston represents the first Eastern Conference opponent the Golden Knights have faced since Feb. 1 as the Bruins come to T-Mobile Arena for the first time since Oct. 8, 2019. The Bruins sit fourth in the Atlantic Division heading into Thursday with a 32-18-4 record and 68 points. Boston is on a six-game road trip that has seen the team go 3-1-0 through four outings. After picking up wins in Seattle, San Jose and Los Angeles, the Bruins dropped a 4-3 decision to the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday night at Honda Center.
David Pastrnak (29G, 25A) and Brad Marchand (23G, 31A) are tied for the team lead in scoring, though Marchand has played in just 43 games. Patrice Bergeron's 41 points (15G, 26A) and Taylor Hall's 40 points (12G, 28A) represent the only other 40-point scorers for Boston so far this season. Jeremy Swayman (13-7-3) and Linus Ullmark (17-9-1) have largely split the goaltending duties for the Bruins this season.
SEASON SERIES
Vegas skated to a 4-1 win against the Boston Bruins on Dec. 14 at TD Garden to open the two-game season series. Max Pacioretty scored two goals for the Golden Knights while Jonathan Marchessault and Shea Theodore also scored in the victory. Chandler Stephenson notched three assists as the Golden Knights earned their first win in Boston since joining the NHL in 2017.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Chandler Stephenson - 41 points (14G, 27A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 38 points (21G, 17A)
Reilly Smith - 36 points (16G, 20A)
Shea Theodore - 35 points (8G, 27A)
Mark Stone - 28 points (8G, 20A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 28 points (7G, 21A)
Max Pacioretty - 27 points (15G, 12A)
Nicolas Roy - 23 points (8G, 15A)
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Calgary Flames - 32-14-6, 70 points
Los Angeles Kings - 29-17-7, 65 points
Vegas Golden Knights - 30-20-4, 64 points
Edmonton Oilers - 30-21-3, 63 points
Anaheim Ducks - 26-21-9, 61 points
Vancouver Canucks - 26-23-6, 58 points
San Jose Sharks - 24-24-6, 54 points
Seattle Kraken - 17-34-5, 39 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 204th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a two-game win streak
KEYS TO THE GAME
Establish Game Early: When teams meet just twice a year, it's often the team that imposes its own style of play on the other that gets the upper hand. Vegas will look to attack Boston with speed from the jump.
Catch Boston Tired:The Bruins will play their fifth game of a six-game road trip Thursday in Vegas. Long trips can catch up to any team and the Golden Knights will look to take advantage of Boston's long stint away from home.
