The Vegas Golden Knights (14-6-3) return home for the first game of a back-to-back against the Winnipeg Jets (18-5-0) on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Vegas 34
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
NOTES
Pavel Dorofeyev scored his team-leading 12th goal of the season on Wednesday night, moving within one of his career high of 13 goals set in the 2023-24 season.
Jack Eichel is one point away from moving into T-7th place for total points in franchise history.
Eichel is fourth in the league in points with 34 points (8G, 26A). Eichel is also second in assists.
Ivan Barbashev extended his point streak to four games with his assist on Dorofeyev’s goal on Wednesday night.
The Golden Knights have a record of 5-1-2 against the Winnipeg Jets at T-Mobile Arena.
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Brett Howden – Four games away from 200 games as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
William Karlsson – One game away from 700 career games
Noah Hanifin – Two points away from 300 career points
Keegan Kolesar – Two games away from 300 career games
Bruce Cassidy – Four games away from 700 career games coached
Tanner Pearson – Five points away from 300 career points
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 34 points (8G, 26A)
Ivan Barbashev – 25 points (10G, 15A)
Mark Stone – 21 points (6G, 15A)
Tomas Hertl – 18 points (8G, 10A)
Shea Theodore – 17 points (1G, 16A)
Alex Pietrangelo – 15 points (2G, 13A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 15 points (12G, 3A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights lost, 2-1, in a shootout against the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday night at Ball Arena. Both sides were scoreless until Pavel Dorofeyev broke the silence with a top-shelf shot to give Vegas a 1-0 lead. The Avalanche scored only 33 seconds later to tie it up. The third period was also scoreless to send the game to overtime, then eventually a shootout. Valeri Nichushkin scored the lone shootout goal for the Avalanche after five rounds to give Colorado the win.
2023-24 SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights had a 3-0-0 record against the Winnipeg Jets during the 2023-24 season. Vegas defeated Winnipeg 5-3 on Oct. 19 at Canada Life Centre. Shea Theodore recorded three assists in the win. Brett Howden, Jack Eichel, and Nicolas Roy each tallied a goal. In the second matchup, the Golden Knights conquered the Jets 5-2 on Nov. 2 at T-Mobile Arena. William Karlsson notched two points (1G, 1A) and Alex Pietrangelo tallied two assists. To cap off the sweep, Vegas won the final matchup of the 2023-24 season with a 4-1 win at Canada Life Centre. Ivan Barbashev totaled two goals to lift Vegas to victory. Pavel Dorofeyev and Eichel each notched a goal, and Karlsson had two assists on the night.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Winnipeg Jets have maintained their top-of-the-league status through their 23 games. The Jets made NHL history by having the best start to a season, through 15 games, with a record of 14-1-0. Entering Friday’s matchup, Winnipeg sits in first place in the Central Division with a record of 18-5-0 and 36 points. The Jets come to Vegas for their fifth game of a six-game road trip. Their record for the first four games of their road trip is 2-2-0, with all four games recording a score of 4-1. They defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild but lost to the Nashville Predators and Los Angeles Kings. Kyle Connor leads the Jets with 28 points (13G, 15A), followed by Mark Scheifele with 26 points (12G, 14A) and Nikolaj Ehlers with 24 points (9G, 15A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights – 14-6-3, 31 points
Calgary Flames – 12-7-4, 28 points
Los Angeles Kings – 12-8-3, 27 points
Vancouver Canucks – 11-7-3, 25 points
Edmonton Oilers – 11-9-2, 24 points
Seattle Kraken – 11-11-1, 23 points
Anaheim Ducks – 9-9-3, 21 points
San Jose Sharks – 7-13-5, 19 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD..
- Mark the 327th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 10-6-2 all-time record against Winnipeg
- Give the Golden Knights a 9-2-0 record at home this season
KEYS TO THE GAME
Execution Is Everything: After a long road trip, Vegas is looking forward to playing at home. In a head-to-head matchup against a top team in the league, Bruce Cassidy stated that the team that executes the best usually wins these types of games. Stellar goaltending and a strong power play can help Vegas get back into the win column.
Preserve The Positive: There are always some positives to look at, even after tough losses. Adin Hill stated the team has been playing good hockey, the penalty kill has been good, and they are always happy to get at least one point. Bruce Cassidy also gave a nod to Hill for keeping Vegas in those types of games.
