Morning Skate Report: April 3, 2021

The Vegas Golden Knights (24-9-2) close their two-game set with the Minnesota Wild (22-11-2) on Saturday at 6 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.
NOTES
Vegas is meeting Minnesota for the sixth time this season. The Wild have won three of the five previous matchups.
The Golden Knights are without forward Chandler Stephenson who is serving the second game of a three-game suspension.

HOCKEY FIGHTS CANCER NIGHT
During warmups, the Golden Knights will wear specialty Hockey Fights Cancer lavender jerseys that will be signed and available for purchase through an online auction. Player sticks, nameplates and warmup pucks will also be available. Fans can visit
HFC2021.givesmart.com
or text "HFC2021" to 76278.
The auction will begin at 4:45 p.m. PT and conclude at the 10:00 minute mark of the third period. Items will be available the following week for pickup at City National Arena and can also be delivered. All proceeds will benefit the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation and a portion will go to Kay's Power Play, Shea Theodore's initiative to raise awareness for early detection and provide proactive measures to combat breast cancer. Theodore worked with Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada and Susan G. Komen Nevada to establish Kay's Power Play in November of 2020.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: AT&T SportsNet (pregame show at 6:30 p.m.)
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 (pregame show at 6 p.m.)
Fortress at Home: Facebook, YouTube and Twitch
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights endured their second consecutive home loss as they fell to the Wild on Thursday, 3-2 in a shootout. William Karlsson and Brayden McNabb scored in regulation for Vegas, but it wasn't enough as Kevin Fiala scored the game-winner in the shootout.
TOP PERFORMERS
Mark Stone: Stone has 23 points (8G, 15A) in his last 14 games and leads the team with 40 points (12G, 28A) on the year.
Max Pacioretty: Pacioretty is the team's leading goal scorer with 18 goals to go with 15 assists.
Shea Theodore: Theodore is the team's top-scoring defenseman with 29 points (6G, 23A).
Alex Tuch: Tuch ranks second on the team in goals with 13 tallies.
William Karlsson: Karlsson has moved up the team scoring chart with 26 points (10G, 16A).
Jonathan Marchessault: Marchessault has chipped in with 26 points (9G, 17A).
2020-21 SEASON SERIES
The home team has come out ahead in all four matchups between the Golden Knights and Wild this season. Vegas defeated Minnesota in consecutive home games in early March but were defeated by the Wild twice in St. Paul a week later. The Wild won the most recent matchup Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena. Mark Stone has eight points (1G, 7A) against the Wild including a five-assist performance on March 1. Dylan Coghlan recorded his first NHL hat trick against the Wild on March 10 as he become the third defenseman in league history have all three of his first goals come in the same game.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Wild rode the roller coaster in the month of March with a 9-5-2 record that included a five-game win streak. In their two most recent outings, the Wild picked up just one point out of a possible four against the San Jose Sharks. Rookie Kirill Kaprizov is leading Minnesota in scoring with 30 points (13G, 17A) while Mats Zuccarello (6G, 16A) and Jordan Greenway (5G, 17A) have also hit the 20-point mark.
WESTERN ROUNDUP
Colorado Avalanche (23-8-4), 50 points
Vegas Golden Knights (24-9-2), 50 points
Minnesota Wild (22-11-2), 46 points
St. Louis Blues (16-13-6), 38 points
Arizona Coyotes (16-15-5), 37 points
Los Angeles Kings (14-14-6), 34 points
San Jose Sharks (15-16-4), 34 points
Anaheim Ducks (11-20-6), 28 points
VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEM SCRATCHES
Stay tuned to the Golden Knights on Twitter for updates on the lineup.
KEYS TO THE GAME PRESENTED BY TOYOTA
Next Man Up: With Stephenson out serving his suspension, Nicolas Roy and Tomas Nosek have seen time at center between Mark Stone and Max Pacioretty. One of those two centers will need to provide some offense Saturday in an elevated role.
Deal with Minnesota's Depth: The Wild have used a balanced lineup to remain among the top three teams in the Honda West Division this season. Each line that steps on the ice is solid in all three zones and Vegas will have to be ready for Minnesota to roll four lines.