BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: ESPN+/Hulu
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340
NOTES
Thursday's game is the first meeting of the 2022-2023 season between the Golden Knights and Sabres.
This is Vegas' final match of a five-game road trip. The Golden Knights are undefeated on the trip so far with wins against Washington, Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto.
LAST TIME OUT
Vegas added to its eight-game win streak after taking down Toronto, 4-3, in overtime Tuesday night. Reilly Smith notched the tying goal in the third as well as the overtime winner. Other Golden Knights to score were Nicolas Roy and Jack Eichel. Logan Thompson helped secure the win with 28 saves on 31 shots.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel - 15 points (6G, 9A)
Reilly Smith - 12 points (7G, 5A)
William Karlsson - 12 points (4G, 8A)
Chandler Stephenson - 11 points (5G, 6A)
Mark Stone - 11 points (4G, 7A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 10 points (6G, 4A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 10 points (10A)
MILESTONE WATCH
Alex Pietrangelo - seven games away from 900 NHL games played
Jonathan Marchessault - six games away from 500 NHL games played
Alex Pietrangelo - two assists away from 500 assists
Brayden McNabb - two assists away from 100 assists
Jack Eichel - five points away from 400 points
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Vegas Golden Knights - 12-2-0, 24 points
Seattle Kraken - 8-4-2, 18 points
Los Angeles Kings - 8-6-1, 17 points
Edmonton Oilers - 8-6-0, 16 points
Calgary Flames - 5-5-2, 12 points
Vancouver Canucks - 4-7-3, 11 points
San Jose Sharks - 3-8-3, 9 points
Anaheim Ducks - 4-9-1, 9 points
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Sabres started out hot this season, winning four out of their first six games. Recently, they slowed down and have dropped their last three games to the Hurricanes, Lightning and Coyotes. Their scoring leader is Tage Thompson who has 16 points (8G, 8A) in 13 games. Tied with him at 16 is Rasmus Dahlin (7G, 9A). Behind them with 11 points is former Golden Knight Alex Tuch (7G, 4A) and Jeff Skinner (3G, 8A).
Last season, the Sabres missed out on the playoffs after finishing the season with 75 points for fifth place in the Atlantic Division. Perhaps the biggest news story surrounding the team was on Nov. 4, 2021, when the Sabres traded Jack Eichel and a conditional 2023 third-round pick to Vegas. In exchange, they received Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, a 2022 first-round pick, and a conditional 2023 second-round draft pick. This will be Eichel's second time playing in Buffalo post-trade.
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 227th win in franchise history
- Give Vegas its first nine-game win streak since April of 2021 when the team won a franchise-record 10 consecutive games
KEYS TO THE GAME
Aggressive offense: Buffalo is ranked 2nd overall with 3.85 goals-per-game. They have been a high-scoring club this year, so Vegas should try to continue its pattern of all lines contributing to the score sheet.
Start on time: The Golden Knights have used timely first-period scoring to get off to strong starts on their win streak. It's important they're ready to go at the drop of the puck and it's important you are ready to fire up ESPN+ or Hulu so you don't miss a moment.
