Morning Skate Report: April 6, 2023

The Vegas Golden Knights (48-22-8) will close out their season series with the Los Angeles Kings (45-23-10) on Thursday 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
The Golden Knights will finish their season series with the Kings on Thursday night. Vegas is 1-2-0 against Los Angeles on the year.

DONATE LIFE KNIGHT
Thursday's game is presented by NV Donor Network. Every fan in attendance will receive a Donate Life glowstick at the door, courtesy of the NV Donor Network. NV Donor Network and the Vegas Golden Knights will host organ donor recipients, family members of donors, and doctors to be honored during the game. During warmups, the Golden Knights will support donor awareness by wearing specialty jerseys. This year's jerseys will feature glow-in-the-dark details which will be signed and available for purchase through an online auction. Warmup pucks will also be for sale after the game begins, with a limited number available in-arena outside Section 11. Fans can visit VGKDonor.GiveSmart.com or text "VGKDonor" to 76278 to sign up and bid. The auction will begin at 5:45 p.m. PT and conclude at 9 p.m. PT. A portion of the proceeds from Thursday night will be donated toward the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation's ongoing commitment to encourage organ donation through the NV Donor Network.

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 - 48-22-8, 104 points
2. x-Edmonton Oilers - 47-23-9, 103 points
3. x-Los Angeles Kings - 45-23-10, 100 points

Central Division:
1. x-Colorado Avalanche - 46-24-6, 98 points
2. x-Dallas Stars - 42-21-14, 98 points
3. x-Minnesota Wild - 44-23-10, 98 points

Wild Card:
1. Seattle Kraken - 43-26-8, 94 points
2. Winnipeg Jets - 43-32-3, 89 points
3. Calgary Flames - 37-27-15, 89 points
4. Nashville Predators - 39-30-8, 86 points

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

LAST TIME OUT
Vegas was defeated 3-2 in overtime by the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night at Bridgestone Arena. Alex Pietrangelo scored twice for the Golden Knights, but Cody Glass netted the overtime goal to win it for the Predators.

SEASON SERIES
Vegas holds a 1-2-0 record against the Kings this season. In the season opener on Oct. 11, Mark Stone's last-minute game-winner led the Golden Knights to a 4-3 victory. On Dec. 27, the Kings defeated Vegas, 4-2. The Golden Knights also lost 5-1 to Los Angeles on Jan. 7.

VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel - 64 points (27G, 37A)
Chandler Stephenson - 60 points (14G, 46A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 55 points (26G, 29A)
Reilly Smith - 52 points (24G, 28A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 52 points (11G, 41A)
William Karlsson - 51 points (14G, 37A)
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 - two games away from 250 games as a Golden Knight
Jack Eichel - one game away from 100 games as a Golden Knight
Brett Howden - two games away from 100 games as a Golden Knight
Teddy Blueger - two points away from 100 NHL points
Reilly Smith - three goals away from 200 NHL goals
Shea Theodore - two assists away from 200 NHL assists

OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Kings are fighting to take over first place in the Pacific Division, trailing the Golden Knights by only four points. Entering Thursday's game, they are in third place with a 45-23-10 record and 100 points. They are 6-3-1 in their last 10 matchups, most recently losing 3-1 to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday. Kevin Fiala leads the team in points with 72 (23G, 49A). Anze Kopitar is second in points with 68 (26G, 42A) and Adrian Kempe is behind him with 59 (36G, 23A).

A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 265th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 15-11-3 record against the Kings all-time

KEYS TO THE GAME
Division on the line: Even though the Golden Knights clinched a playoff spot, there's no denying that winning the division is always a plus in the NHL. The Pacific Division race has been tight throughout most of the season, so two points over the rival Kings will be a massive boost for Vegas in the standings.
Power play: Vegas has not been able to convert on the power play their last three games. Los Angeles has a 24.9% power play percentage, placing them 5th in the league. Not only should Vegas stay out of the box to avoid giving the Kings chances, but they need to work on their power play to capitalize on their own chances.