Capitals At Golden Knights: 3 Keys To The Game

Under any under circumstances, the Golden Knights taking on the two-time defending Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals might seem like an impossible task.
Although on a homestand where Vegas has already defeated the two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins and league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning, anything seems possible.
Where even though the Capitals used the one point they earned by losing to the Arizona Coyotes in overtime last night to move into first place in the Metropolitan Division, the Golden Knights are a perfect 3-0-0 this season against the teams (Los Angeles, Nashville, Tampa Bay) currently leading their divisions.
And with a three-day holiday break looming following today's 5:00 PM game at T-Mobile Arena, nothing would be a sweeter holiday gift for the Golden Knights than another win.
Here are three keys to today's game.

1. Finish Strong
When the Golden Knights returned home from Dallas on the night of December 9, the five-game homestand that they were entering seemed like a distinct, separate increment of the season.
Many of the players were looking it at this way, too. Especially with all five games against Eastern Conference opponents, and Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Washington, in particular, representing some of the best teams in the Eastern Conference.
So far, Vegas has used late third-period goals to defeat both Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay. And the Golden Knights have also beaten the Florida Panthers and earned a point for losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in a shootout.
At 3-0-1, Vegas has already secured a winning record in this homestand.
At the same time, also sent a message to the rest of the league. Although if the Golden Knights could also top the Caps tonight, it would be an even larger statement.
That not only can Vegas defeat a top team. But that it can defeat all of the top teams.
League powers St. Louis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Winnipeg, San Jose, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay have all played in Vegas this season. And the Golden Knights haven't lost any of these games.

2. McPhee Reunion
A look at the Capitals isn't necessarily a look in the mirror for the Golden Knights.
With the league's leading goal scorer the past decade, Alex Ovechkin, one of the top playmakers in Nicklas Backstrom and a Vezina Trophy winner in Braden Holtby, Vegas doesn't have nearly the star power that Washington has.
However, much of the Capitals roster was assembled by Golden Knights general manager George McPhee, who was Washington's GM from 1997-2014. The aforementioned Ovechkin, Backstrom and Holtby were all drafted by McPhee.
In total, 13 current Capitals were acquired by McPhee.
Drafted
Nicklas Backstrom
Andre Burakovsky
Evgeny Kuznetsov
Alex Ovechkin
Chandler Stephenson
Tom Wilson
Madison Bowey
John Carlson
Christian Djoos
Dmitry Orlov
Philipp Grubauer
Braden Holtby
College Free Agent
Jay Beagle
Another Capital McPhee acquired was defenseman Nate Schmidt, who as a Golden Knight is set to go against his former team for the first time.

3. Standing Implication
Seems simple.
The Golden Knights face the division-leading likes of Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals. Vegas has already defeated a lot of top teams on its homestand, and at 22-9-2, is the absolute surprise story of the league so far this season.
Although with a win tonight, the Golden Knights could head to the holidays in a lofty spot.
Sure, there are 15 games in the NHL today, so a victory doesn't guarantee that the Golden Knights head into the holidays in first place. They're currently two points behind the Kings atop the Pacific, although Vegas has three games in hand.
The Golden Knights are also, however, tied in points with the St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators and Winnipeg Jets. Even though these three teams play in the Central Division, meaning their records have less implications on the Golden Knights' playoff race than what the Kings do, these five teams, as a whole, are the leaders of the Western Conference.
All five teams play today. And depending on the outcomes, they can pretty much be ranked in any order from 1-5 at the close of league business this evening.