Vegas coach Gallant faces former team for first time; Florida tries to avoid third straight loss
ByDanny Webster
NHL.com Independent Correspondent
PANTHERS (12-15-5) at GOLDEN KNIGHTS (20-9-2) 8 p.m. ET; ATTSN-RM, FS-F, NHL.TV
Gallant was fired on Nov. 27, 2016, after less than three seasons with the Panthers, including a 103-point campaign in 2016. Gallant's new team enters Sunday at 5-0-1 in its past six games. The Golden Knights have not lost in regulation since Dec. 1 against the Winnipeg Jets. Defenseman Luca Sbisa (lower body) and forward William Carrier (upper body) will not play. Florida has lost back-to-back games and six of its past eight. This is the fourth game of a five-game road trip for the Panthers, who are expected to have forward Denis Malgin (upper body) back after missing one game.
Players to watch
Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck has nine points (three goals, six assists) in his past nine games. His six-game point streak ended Thursday. Golden Knights goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury has stopped 59 of 62 shots and has a .952 save percentage in his past two starts since returning from a concussion.
They said it
"We're focusing on these four games. If we have a winning record these four games, it kind of sets us up to be in a good position." -- Panthers forward Vincent Trocheck "We all know what happened last year, but it's about trying to get two points against a team that plays pretty well. So, it's not a big deal." -- Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant
Florida assigned forward Dryden Hunt to Springfield of the American Hockey League on Sunday. … The Golden Knights did not hold a morning skate. Smith and Marchessault were teammates in Florida last season. Marchessault, who was selected by the Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, scored a career-high 30 goals in his lone season with the Panthers. Smith played the past two seasons in Florida.
Stat pack
Florida is 7-0-0 when leading after two periods. Huberdeau has six points (one goal, five assists) in the past five games. ... Haula is on a five-game point streak (three goals, four assists). The Golden Knights are 14-1-0 when scoring first.
