The Golden Knights (13-6-2) aim to get back-to-back road wins as they face the Montreal Canadiens (7-10-2) for the first time this season on Saturday at 4 p.m. PT at Bell Centre.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Vegas 34
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
NOTES
Head coach Bruce Cassidy reached his 400th win as an NHL coach with Thursday’s victory.
Pavel Dorofeyev scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season on Thursday night.
Brett Howden signed a five-year contract extension through the 2029-30 NHL season on Friday, Nov. 22. The forward is one goal short from tying his career-high of nine, which he’s finished with twice (2019-20, 2021-22). The forward is in his fourth season with the Golden Knights and owns nine points (8G, 1A) after appearing in each of the Vegas's 20 games this season.
Jack Eichel is tied for fifth in NHL scoring with 29 points (6G, 23A).
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
William Karlsson – Three games away from 700 career games
Noah Hanifin – Five points away from 300 career points
Keegan Kolesar – Six games away from 300 career games
Tanner Pearson – Seven points away from 300 career points
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 29 points (6G, 23A)
Mark Stone – 21 points (6G, 15A)
Ivan Barbashev – 19 points (8G, 11A)
Tomas Hertl – 16 points (7G, 9A)
Alex Pietrangelo – 14 points (2G, 12A)
Shea Theodore – 13 points (1G, 12A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Vegas Golden Knights secured their first victory of their five-game road trip, edging the Ottawa Senators, 3-2, on Thursday at Canadian Tire Centre. Jack Eichel got the Golden Knights on the board early with a first-period goal, and Brett Howden doubled the lead to 2-0 midway through the second frame. Ottawa responded in the third period, cutting the deficit to one with a goal from Adam Gaudette. However, Pavel Dorofeyev put the game out of reach with his team-leading 10th goal of the season. Drake Batherson's late goal wasn’t enough as Vegas took the 3-2 win. Ilya Samsonov was stellar in net, turning aside 38 of 40 shots.
2023-24 SEASON SERIES
Vegas posted a 2-0-0 record against the Montreal Canadiens during the 2023-24 season. The first meeting took place on Oct. 30, 2023, at T-Mobile Arena, where the Golden Knights secured a 3-2 victory on home ice. William Karlsson opened the scoring for Vegas, while Alex Pietrangelo and Jack Eichel each registered assists to help seal the win.In the second and final matchup on November 16, 2023, at the Bell Centre, Vegas exploded for a 6-5 victory, with six different players finding the back of the net. Brett Howden, Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore, Jack Eichel, and Mark Stone each contributed a goal, leading the Golden Knights to another hard-fought win over the Canadiens.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Montreal Canadiens are in eighth place in the Atlantic Division with a 7-10-2 record and 16 points. The Canadiens have found a little bit of momentum as they've won three of their last four games including back-to-back wins against the Columbus Blue Jackets and Edmonton Oilers on home ice. In their most recent win over Edmonton, goaltender Samuel Montembeault turned aside 30 shots to earn a 3-0 shutout win. Leading the Canadiens offensively is Nick Suzuki, who has registered 19 points (7G, 12A). Right behind him is Cole Caufield with 16 points (12G, 4A) and Mike Matheson with 13 points (1G, 12A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights – 12-6-2, 26 points
Calgary Flames – 11-6-3, 25 points
Los Angeles Kings – 10-7-3, 23 points
Edmonton Oilers – 10-9-2, 22 points
Vancouver Canucks – 9-6-3, 21 points
Seattle Kraken – 10-9-1, 21 points
Anaheim Ducks – 8-8-3, 19 points
San Jose Sharks – 6-11-5, 17 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD..
- Mark the 325th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights an 8-2-3 all-time record against Montreal
KEYS TO THE GAME
Don’t Chase: Head coach Bruce Cassidy says the most important thing when the team is on a long road trip and playing a lot of hockey, you never want to put yourself in a situation where you are chasing the game. It allows the team to get comfortable in their play. Vegas was able to do exactly this which led them to their last victory on Thursday night.
Set it & Forget it: The Golden Knights mentioned after first loss of the road-trip is that they tend to overthink it when they just have to go out there and play. The team was able to succeed in their bounce-back game against Ottawa and do precisely that. Ivan Barbashev explained how he was proud of the team’s mentality after a back-to-back. The key to another win is to go out there and not get stuck in that mindset.
