Morning Skate Report: April 11, 2023

The Vegas Golden Knights (49-22-9) will host the Seattle Kraken (46-26-8) during the first game of a home-and-home on Tuesday at 7 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
NOTES
Vegas is 1-1-0 against Seattle on the year.
The Golden Knights will clinch the Pacific Division title in either of the following scenarios: Vegas defeats Seattle in any fashion and Edmonton loses to Colorado in any fashion; Vegas earns one point against Seattle and Edmonton loses to Colorado in regulation.

FAN APPRECIATION KNIGHT
- "Jerseys Off Our Backs" event, presented the D Las Vegas, where players will return to the ice after the game and hand-deliver their game-worn jerseys to select fans in attendance
- Annual regular season awards ceremony following the game where three winners will each choose a local charity to receive a $5,000 donation from the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation
- Fans not in attendance at T-Mobile Arena can skate and watch at City National Arena for free
TRAFFIC UPDATE
The Nevada Department of Transportation's I-15 Tropicana Project will have a major impact on many fans' travel to games at T-Mobile Arena. Road, ramp and lane closures will change throughout the two-and-a-half year project. The Vegas Golden Knights encourage fans to arrive early and stay late for games, but with some closures fans' typical routes to the arena will not be available. Please visit
vgk.io/i15Trop
for more information. Fans can also use traffic mobile apps like Waze which will be updated with road and ramp closures.

PLAYOFF PICTUREPacific Division:
1. x-Vegas Golden Knights - 49-22-9, 107 points
2. x-Edmonton Oilers - 48-23-9, 105 points
3. x-Los Angeles Kings - 45-25-10, 102 points

Central Division:
1. x-Colorado Avalanche - 49-24-6, 104 points
2. x-Dallas Stars - 45-21-14, 104 points
3. x-Minnesota Wild - 46-24-10, 102 points

Wild Card:
1. x-Seattle Kraken - 46-26-8, 100 points
2. Winnipeg Jets - 45-32-3, 93 points
3. Calgary Flames - 37-27-17, 91 points
4. Nashville Predators - 41-31-8, 90 points

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Winnipeg Jets
Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings
Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche vs. Seattle Kraken
LAST TIME OUT
Vegas lost, 2-1, to the Dallas Stars in a shootout on Saturday at American Airlines Center. Brett Howden scored the only regulation goal for the Golden Knights in the first period. Joel Kiviranta scored for the Stars in the middle frame, sending it to overtime. Roope Hintz scored the lone shootout goal to secure the win for Dallas.
SEASON SERIES
Vegas holds a 1-1-0 record against the Kraken this season. On Oct. 15, the Golden Knights won, 5-2, at Climate Pledge Arena. Keegan Kolesar, Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore scored a goal apiece for Vegas, while Jonathan Marchessault scored two. Vegas was then defeated by Seattle, 4-2, on Nov. 25 at T-Mobile Arena where Nicolas Roy and Phil Kessel scored the only goals for Vegas.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel - 65 points (27G, 38A)
Chandler Stephenson - 63 points (15G, 48A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 56 points (27G, 29A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 53 points (11G, 42A)
Reilly Smith - 52 points (24G, 28A)
William Karlsson - 51 points (14G, 37A)
Ivan Barbashev - 44 points (16G, 28A)
Shea Theodore - 41 points (8G, 33A)
MILESTONE WATCH
Shea Theodore - four games away from 400 games as a Golden Knight
Teddy Blueger - two points away from 100 NHL points
Nicolas Roy - six points away from 100 NHL points
Ivan Barbashev - seven points away from 200 NHL points
Phil Kessel - eight points away from 1,000 NHL points
Reilly Smith - two goals away from 200 NHL goals
Shea Theodore - two assists away from 200 NHL assists
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Kraken clinched their first franchise postseason berth on Thursday with a 4-2 win over the Arizona Coyotes. They are on a five-game win streak with a 7-2-1 record in their last 10 outings. Entering Tuesday's game, they are in fourth place in the Pacific Division with 100 points and a 46-26-8 record. Jared McCann is the team's leading scorer with 70 points (40G, 30A). Vince Dunn is second in points with 64 (14G, 50A) and Jordan Eberle has 63 (20G, 43A).
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 266th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 6-1-0 record against the Kraken all-time
KEYS TO THE GAME
Home sweet home: Vegas will play in its last home game of the regular season. Securing two points in front of the home crowd would be a fantastic way to send the team into the playoffs.
Goaltending advantage: Both of Seattle's goalies have struggled this season, with Martin Jones at a 2.99 GAA and a .887% save percentage, and Philipp Grubauer with a 2.87 GAA and a .895% save percentage. The Golden Knights will have a chance to take advantage of this and find the back of the net as much as possible.