Morning Skate Report: Feb. 16, 2023
Golden Knights look to keep things rolling against Sharks
By
Caylee Allard
VegasGoldenKnights.com
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
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.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Before the game's start, the Golden Knights will be wearing specialty jerseys during warmups designed by Jalen Jones, the team's Motion Graphics Designer, with input from forward Keegan Kolesar. Select in-game elements of T-Mobile Arena will also be tailored by Jones and the Golden Knights to recognize Black History Month throughout the evening.
The specialty jerseys for Black History Month will be individually signed by players from the Golden Knights and available for purchase through a live online auction. The jersey auction will officially open at 5:45 p.m. PT and close at 9 p.m. PT. Fans can visit BHM2023.GiveSmart.com or text "BHM2023" to 76278 to participate. A portion of the proceeds from the player-worn jerseys on Thursday will benefit a local scholarship through the Urban Chamber of Commerce.
NOTES
Sunday's game is the third of four games this season between Vegas and San Jose.
Vegas is 3-0 in February so far. The Golden Knights are coming off three wins against Nashville, Minnesota and Anaheim.
SEASON SERIES
The first meeting of the season between Vegas and San Jose was on Oct. 25 in which Vegas walked away with a 4-2 victory. Phil Kessel, Shea Theodore, William Karlsson and Mark Stone all tallied goals in the win. The second meeting of the season was on Nov. 15, in which the Sharks score four unanswered goals in the third period to defeat Vegas 5-2.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights secured a commanding 7-2 win over Anaheim on Sunday at T-Mobile Arena. Seven different Golden Knights found the back of the net - Paul Cotter, Brett Howden, Shea Theodore, Phil Kessel, Jack Eichel, Michael Amadio and William Carrier. This was just the third time in franchise history that the Golden Knights had seven goal scorers and the first time since the inaugural season (Oct. 27, 2017, and Feb. 21, 2018).
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Chandler Stephenson - 47 points (12G, 35A)
Mark Stone - 38 points (17G, 21A)
Jack Eichel - 38 points (17G, 21A)
William Karlsson - 37 points (11G, 27A)
Reilly Smith - 34 points (19G, 17A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 34 points (15G, 19A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 33 points (7G, 26A)
MILESTONE WATCH
Reilly Smith - seven goals away from 200 NHL goals
Chandler Stephenson - seven games away from 400 NHL games
Jonathan Marchessault - five points away from 400 NHL points
Nicolas Hague - five games away from 200 NHL games
William Carrier - four points away from 100 NHL points
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Vegas Golden Knights - 32-18-4, 68 points
Los Angeles Kings - 30-18-7, 67 points
Seattle Kraken - 30-18-6, 66 points
Edmonton Oilers - 30-19-6, 66 points
Calgary Flames - 25-18-11, 61 points
Vancouver Canucks - 21-30-4, 46 points
San Jose Sharks - 17-27-11, 45 points
Anaheim Ducks - 17-31-6, 40 points
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Entering Thursday's game, the Sharks hold seventh place in the Pacific Division with 45 points and a 17-27-11 record. They are 4-4-2 in their last 10 matchups, most recently suffering a 3-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday. Erik Karlsson is the club's points leader with 73 (18G, 55A). Timo Meier has the second most points on the team with 52 (31G, 21A) with Tomas Hertl ranked third with 47 points (15G, 32A).
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 249th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 20-2-4 record against San Jose all-time
KEYS TO THE GAME
Power play:The Sharks have an exceptional penalty kill, ranked 4th in the league at 83.1%. The Golden Knights must be sharp with the man advantage to get past San Jose's skilled special teams.
Goaltending: San Jose's netminders have struggled this season. James Reimer has a .895% save percentage with a 3.31 GAA. Kaapo Kahkonen has a .880% save percentage and a 2.79 GAA. Vegas should be able to keep producing consistently and take advantage of the opposition's goaltending weaknesses.
