Morning Skate Report: April 3, 2023

The Vegas Golden Knights (47-22-7) will play the second game of a home-and-home against the Minnesota Wild (44-23-9) on Monday at 5 p.m. PT at Xcel Energy Center.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340

NOTES
The Golden Knights are playing a back-to-back road trip against the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators.

PLAYOFF PICTUREPacific Division:
1. Vegas Golden Knights - 47-22-7, 101 points
2. Los Angeles Kings - 45-22-10, 100 points
3. Edmonton Oilers - 45-23-9, 99 points

Central Division:
1. Minnesota Wild - 44-23-9, 97 points
2. Colorado Avalanche - 45-24-6, 96 points
3. Dallas Stars - 41-21-14, 96 points

Wild Card:
1. Seattle Kraken - 41-26-8, 90 points
2. Winnipeg Jets - 43-31-3, 89 points
3. Calgary Flames - 36-26-15, 87 points

IF THE PLAYOFFS STARTED TODAY…
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Winnipeg Jets
Edmonton Oilers vs. Los Angeles Kings
Minnesota Wild vs. Seattle Kraken
Colorado Avalanche vs. Dallas Stars

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights defeated the Wild, 4-1, on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena. Ben Hutton, Zach Whitecloud, Brett Howden and Chandler Stephenson all scored for Vegas. Matt Boldy was the lone goalscorer for Minnesota.

SEASON SERIES
Vegas is 2-0-0 against the Wild so far this season. Both teams faced off on Feb. 9 when the Golden Knights walked away with a 5-1 victory at Xcel Energy Center. In addition, Vegas won 4-1 on Saturday at T-Mobile Arena.

VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel - 62 points (27G, 35A)
Chandler Stephenson - 59 points (14G, 45A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 54 points (26G, 28A)
Reilly Smith - 51 points (24G, 27A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 50 points (9G, 41A)
William Karlsson - 49 points (14G, 35A)
Ivan Barbashev - 42 points (15G, 27A)
Shea Theodore - 41 points (8G, 33A)

MILESTONE WATCH
Shea Theodore - four games away from 400 games as a Golden Knight
Chandler Stephenson - three games away from 250 games as a Golden Knight
Jack Eichel - three games away from 100 games as a Golden Knight
Brett Howden - four games away from 100 games as a Golden Knight
Teddy Blueger - three points away from 100 NHL points
Reilly Smith - three goals away from 200 NHL goals
Shea Theodore - two assists away from 200 NHL assists
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Vegas Golden Knights - 47-22-7, 101 points
Los Angeles Kings - 45-22-10, 100 points
Edmonton Oilers - 45-23-9, 99 points
Seattle Kraken - 41-26-8, 90 points
Calgary Flames - 36-26-15, 87 points
Vancouver Canucks - 34-35-7, 75 points
San Jose Sharks - 22-39-15, 59 points
Anaheim Ducks - 23-44-10, 56 points

OPPOSITION UPDATE
Entering the game against Vegas, Minnesota is still the top team in the Central Division with 97 points and a 44-23-9 record. They are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games. Kirill Kaprizov leads the team with 74 points (39G, 35A). Second in points is Mats Zuccarello with 65 (22G, 43A) with Joel Eriksson Ek behind him with 60 (23G, 37A).

A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 264th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 10-11-1 record against Minnesota all-time

KEYS TO THE GAME
Secondary scoring:The Golden Knights saw offensive production from two defensemen and from their fourth line on Saturday's game. This is a big reason as to why they were able to defeat Minnesota, so they should continue to find ways to score throughout the lineup.
Power play: Vegas went 0/2 on the power play last game against the Wild. If they can produce on any power play opportunities tonight, they will have an advantage to secure another two points against the best team in the Central.