Golden Knights at Kings : 3 Keys To The Game

Tonight is the first of back-to-back games against the Golden Knights divisional rivals, the Los Angeles Kings. The two teams will face off starting in Los Angeles tonight. The Golden Knights have won both of their previous matchups against the Kings and they'll wrap up their season series tomorrow night in Las Vegas.
Vegas has fared well against Pacific Division teams thus far and Los Angeles is hungry for wins. The Kings are currently two points out of the wild card and will not go down easily. They play a very physical game and thanks to the Golden Knights newest addition of Ryan Reaves, they will have some physical toughness of their own. Winning tonight would further stake their claim atop the Pacific.

Here are the three keys to tonight's game:
1. Meet the New Guy
The Golden Knights acquired winger Ryan Reaves in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday. Reaves will have an immediate impact as a heavy hitter on the fourth line, which is something that the Golden Knights have been missing. He couldn't have come at a better time with back-to-back games against the notoriously aggressive Los Angeles Kings. Adding him to the lineup could be a game changer.

2. Smoking Smith
Reilly Smith impressively has 17 points (6-11-17) in his past 10 games. Smith leads the team in goals, assists and overall points during this stretch. While he has the scoring touch, his ability to contribute and set up plays could arguably be the most valuable part of his game. He's a vital player on the top line, but he's also an important component of the team as a whole.

Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson can't be overlooked when talking about this top line, though. Marchessault has 13 points (4-9-13) and Karlsson has 11 points (6-5-11) over these last 10 games.
3. Flower in Bloom
Though Marc-Andre Fleury missed a significant amount of games at the beginning of the season, he's been consistently solid and a force to be reckoned with since his return. He's gone 18-6-1 since December 12th and is a huge reason for the Golden Knight's success. With Malcolm Subban currently out of the lineup, Fleury has been heavily relied upon and has stepped up to the challenge. After such a long home stand and starting 10 games in a row, this back-to-back could mean Fleury is given a much-needed night off. Although, playing as well as he currently is, they may just decide to try their luck and keep the streak going.