The Vegas Golden Knights (20-8-3) return home for a three-game homestand as they face the Vancouver Canucks (16-9-6) for the first time this season at on Thursday at 7 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
The Golden Knights are 16-3-2 against Western Conference teams this season.
In Sunday’s win against the Minnesota Wild, Jack Eichel reached 200 points as a Golden Knight. Eichel (195 GP) passed Mark Stone (214 GP) as the fastest player in franchise history to reach the mark.
Victor Olofsson scored four goals in three games on the previous road trip. Olofsson owns nine points (7G, 2A) in his 11 games and is currently on a three-game point streak.
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Adin Hill – Two games away from 50 wins as a Golden Knight
Bruce Cassidy – Two wins away from having the most wins all-time as a Golden Knight
Mark Stone – Five goals away from 100 goals as a Golden Knight
Jack Eichel – Five games away from 200 games as a Golden Knight
Bruce Cassidy – Five games away from 200 games as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Keegan Kolesar – One goal away from career high (8G)
Pavel Dorofeyev – Two games away from 100 career games
Victor Olofsson – Three goals away from 100 career goals
Tanner Pearson – Four points away from 300 career points
Victor Olofsson – Six assists away from 100 career assists
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 42 points (9G, 33A)
Ivan Barbashev – 30 points (15G, 15A)
Shea Theodore – 26 points (4G, 22A)
Mark Stone – 24 points (6G, 18A)
Tomas Hertl – 22 points (9G, 13A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 18 points (12G, 6A)
Alex Pietrangelo – 15 points (2G, 13A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights defeated the Minnesota Wild, 3-2, on Sunday night at Xcel Energy Center in their final stop of a three-game trip. Kirill Kaprizov scored an early goal to give the Wild a 1-0 lead. Victor Olofsson responded with a power-play goal of his own to tie the game going into the second period. Shea Theodore gave Vegas a 2-1 lead, but Kaprizov tallied his second the night to tie the game back up. Olofsson scored the game-winning goal quickly in the third period to lift Vegas over Minnesota. Jack Eichel registered two assists, and Ilya Samsonov stopped 20 out of 22 shots to earn the win.
2023-24 SEASON SERIES
Vegas had a record of 2-2-0 against Vancouver during the 2023-24 season. In the first matchup of the season, Vegas defeated Vancouver, 4-1, at Rogers Arena on Nov. 30, 2023. Jack Eichel notched three points (1G, 2A) in his 500th career game. Ivan Barbashev, William Karlsson, and Brett Howden each found the back of the net. Alex Pietrangelo contributed two assists in the win. The second meeting was played at T-Mobile Arena where the Canucks defeated the Golden Knights, 3-1, on March 7, 2024. Vancouver recorded eight different point scorers. On April 2, 2024, the Golden Knights and Canucks met for the third time with Vegas beating Vancouver, 6-3, at T-Mobile Arena. Four different Golden Knights lit the lamp in the first period. Noah Hanifin netted his first goal with Vegas in the win. The Golden Knights fell short in the final matchup of the season, losing 4-3 on April 8, 2024, at Rogers Arena. Eichel recorded three points (2G, 1A), and Hanifin recorded two points (1G, 1A). Tomas Hertl skated in his first game with Vegas since being traded from the San Jose Sharks and tallied an assist.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Vancouver Canucks currently sit at fourth in the Pacific Division with a record of 16-9-5 and 37 points. The Canucks have been at home for six or their last seven games where they went 3-2-1. They come to Vegas for a second game of a back-to-back after falling 3-2 in overtime to Utah on Wednesday night. Quinn Hughes leads Vancouver with 35 points (7G, 28A) and is second for points among defensemen in the league. Hughes is followed by Elias Pettersson with 26 points (8G, 18A) and Conor Garland with 25 points (8G, 17A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights – 20-8-3, 43 points
Los Angeles Kings – 18-9-4, 40 points
Edmonton Oilers – 18-11-2, 38 points
Vancouver Canucks – 16-9-6, 38 points
Calgary Flames – 15-11-6, 36 points
Seattle Kraken – 15-16-2, 32 points
Anaheim Ducks – 12-14-4, 28 points
San Jose Sharks – 11-18-5, 27 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
- Mark the 333rd win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 15-4-3 all-time record against the Canucks
- Give the Golden Knights a 12-3-0 record at home this season
KEYS TO THE GAMES
Home Sweet Home: After being on the road for a good amount of November and December, the Golden Knights return home to play 10 of their next 12 games at home. Bruce Cassidy stated that this stretch is a good time to reestablish themselves and get back to the way of play at home that the team started the season with.
Team Chemistry: The team had a three-day break between their last game and tonight’s matchup. Within that time, Bruce Cassidy said he and his staff got together with the players to see what has been working and get feedback on what isn’t to continue building strong team chemistry. In doing so, players feel like this team is a second family to them. Ilya Samsonov stated, “I know we're doing hard work and lots of travel, and we miss our families, but because we have a second family here, it's easier.”
