The Vegas Golden Knights (27-9-3) look to sweep the San Jose Sharks (13-23-6) as they play for the last time this season on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at SAP Center.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Vegas 34
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340
NOTESThe Golden Knights hold a 27-9-3 record with 57 points to lead the league. Vegas also holds the league in multiple categories – win percentage (.731%) and home record (17-4-0).
Jack Eichel and Brayden McNabb rank first and second, respectively, in the NHL in plus/minus. Eichel owns a +25 rating and McNabb has a +24.
Fourteen different Golden Knight's have scored a game-winning goal since the beginning of the season.
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Mark Stone – One goal away from 100 goals as a Golden Knight
Mark Stone – One game away from 300 games as a Golden Knight
Alex Pietrangelo – Six games away from 300 games as a Golden Knight
Brayden McNabb – Seven assists away from 100 assists as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Victor Olofsson – Two goals away from 100 career goals
Victor Olofsson – Three assists away from 100 career assists
Victor Olofsson – Five points away from 200 career points
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 52 points (11G, 41A)
Mark Stone – 33 points (10G, 23A)
Shea Theodore – 31 points (4G, 27A)
Ivan Barbashev – 30 points (15G, 15A)
Tomas Hertl – 25 points (10G, 15A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 21 points (14G, 7A)
Noah Hanifin – 21 points (6G, 15A)
Alex Pietrangelo – 21 points (3G, 18A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Vegas Golden Knights skated to a 3-1 victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena to close out their four-game homestand. Tanner Laczynski opened the scoring with his first goal as a Golden Knight. Mark Stone and Jack Eichel each scored to help Vegas pick up their eighth win in their last nine games. With Stone’s 10th goal of the season, he also tallied his 600th career point and became just the eighth fastest active Canadian skater to do so (665 GP). Tanner Pearson assisted both goals to record his fourth multi-point night of the season. Eichel had two points in the win (1G, 1A) to push his point total to 52 points and to move to third overall in the league with 41 assists. Adin Hill stopped 23 of 24 shots to pick up his 17th win of the season.
SEASON SERIES
The Vegas Golden Knights have won both of their matchups against the San Jose Sharks this season, showcasing dominant performances. In the first meeting on Oct. 26 at T-Mobile Arena, Vegas cruised to a 7-3 victory. Tanner Pearson gave them an early lead, while Pavel Dorofeyev (1G, 2A) and Mark Stone (1G, 2A) each recorded three points. Dorofeyev's three-point night marked his first career multi-point game, and Brett Howden's two goals were his first multi-goal game in the regular season. Jack Eichel (1G, 1A), Tomas Hertl (2A), and Alex Pietrangelo (2A) also contributed to the victory. William Karlsson returned from injury, scoring a goal and adding an assist in his season debut. In the most recent clash, Vegas rallied in the third period to spark a 6-3 victory over San Jose on Dec. 27 at SAP Center. Noah Hanifin opened the scoring with his sixth goal of the season, and Shakir Mukhamadullin responded for San Jose with his first NHL goal. Mark Stone put Vegas ahead again in the second, but the Sharks grabbed the lead in the third. However, Brayden McNabb (1G, 1A) and Jack Eichel (1G, 1A) scored 23 seconds apart to mark the third-fastest consecutive goals of the season. Dorofeyev (1G) and Howden (1G, 1A) sealed the win, while Alex Pietrangelo registered three assists and Victor Olofsson contributed two (2A), his fourth multi-point game of the season.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The San Jose Sharks come into the final meeting between the two teams posting a 11-23-6 record with 32 points. San Jose sits in eighth place in the Pacific Division. San Jose picked up its last two wins after defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Jan. 2 and the New Jersey Devils 3-2 on Jan. 4. Mikael Granlund leads the team with 35 points (11G, 24A), followed by Macklin Celebrini (13G, 15A) and William Eklund (7G, 21A) each with 28 points.
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights –27-9-3, 57 points
Los Angeles Kings – 23-10-5, 51 points
Edmonton Oilers – 24-12-3, 51 points
Vancouver Canucks – 18-12-9, 45 points
Calgary Flames – 18-14-7, 43 points
Anaheim Ducks – 17-18-4, 38 points
Seattle Kraken – 17-21-3, 37 points
San Jose Sharks – 13-23-6, 32 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
- Mark the 340th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights an 27-2-5 all-time record against San Jose
- Give the Golden Knights a 14-0-3 record at SAP Center
KEYS TO THE GAMES
Up The Tempo: Head Coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned that he believes the team still has areas to grow in their game, more specifically with the pace. To maintain their offensive spark, the Golden Knights need to move the puck efficiently and create dynamic, unpredictable plays to keep a young San Jose team on its toes.
Strength In Trust: Adin Hill emphasized how the team collectively loves being around each other on and off the ice. A big part of their confidence is the collective trust they have in the team. To keep their momentum going they will need to continue to tap into the trust and bond they have in every teammate.
