The Ducks enter tonight's game riding a two-game winning streak with victories in St. Louis last Sunday and at home vs. the New York Islanders on Wednesday. Currently atop the Pacific Division, the Ducks hold a five-point edge on the Golden Knights, who last season made it all the way to the Stanley Cup Final.
"They took the NHL by storm and I don't think there are any surprises of how they're going to play," said Ducks head coach Randy Carlyle. "They're going to try and beat you off the wall in their defensive zone coverage and try to beat you up the ice with their third guy. Their defense is going to join the rush. They've some players."
Hampus Lindholm says he and his teammates will need to make quick decisions with the puck at all times, especially in the d-zone, where clean, crisp breakouts are going to be critical. "We need to be aware of their speed," he said. "They're relentless on the forecheck. They go after you."
This is the opener of a four-game season series between the Ducks and Golden Knights, and the first of two held in Sin City. The Ducks posted a 1-2-1 mark against the Golden Knights last season, including a 1-0-1 record at T-Mobile Arena. Brandon Montour (three assists/points) and Rickard Rakell (1g/2a) co-led the Ducks in scoring against the Golden Knights last season.
Vegas enters tonight's matchup riding a two-game winning streak for the first time this season. The Golden Knights had lost three in a row and four of their first five before earning 1-0 and 4-1 victories over the Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres, respectively. Though it is early in the season, the Golden Knights are well aware of Anaheim's hot start.
"Anaheim has a really good team," Golden Knights center Jonathan Marchessault said on the team's website. "We need to be ready for them. Their whole team is playing really well right now. It's definitely a big game for us. We need to be ready for them. They have some banged-up players, and we do also. Good opportunity for everybody."
Indeed, Vegas is missing several key players due to injury. Alex Tuch, who yesterday signed a seven-year contract extension, has yet to play this season after suffering a lower-body injury in the club's preseason finale on September 30. Tuch had 15 goals and 37 points in 75 games with the Golden Knights last season. Also injured is Paul Stastny, the big free-agent signing back in July. [Stastny signed a three-year contract with Vegas]. The 32-year-old center suffered a lower-body injury on October 8 against the Buffalo Sabres and could miss up to two months. Veteran defenseman Deryk Engelland didn't play this past Tuesday against the Sabres because of an undisclosed injury suffered last Saturday.
Though center William Karlsson comes in with seven points in seven games this season, he didn't score a goal until Tuesday night. The 25-year-old center ranked third in the NHL last season with 43 goals and signed a one-year contract this past August.
After coming over via trade on September 9, Max Pacioretty has just one goal/point in his first seven games with the Golden Knights. The former captain of the Montreal Canadiens got on the board in the second game of the season, but hasn't earned a point in the past five games. Pacioretty entered the season with 448 points (226g/222a) in 626 NHL games - all with the Canadiens.
