Morning Skate Report: Jan. 21, 2023

The Vegas Golden Knights (28-16-2) end their seven-game homestand against the Washington Capitals (25-17-6) on Saturday at 7 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.

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 beginning with the VGK games on January 19 & 21, 2023. 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.
NOTES
Saturday's game is the second and final game of the season between Vegas and Washington.
Vegas is playing its final game of a seven-game homestand. The Golden Knights are 2-4-0 so far.
SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights defeated the Capitals 3-2 in overtime on Nov. 1 at Capital One Arena. Jack Eichel and William Carrier scored in regulation to set up Shea Theodore's overtime winner. The victory kicked off a perfect road trip for the Golden Knights.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights fell to the Detroit Red Wings 3-2 on Thursday night at T-Mobile Arena. Alex Pietrangelo tied the game 1-1 for Vegas in the final seconds of the first period. William Karlsson scored with less than one minute remaining in the third, but Vegas was unable to secure two points against the Red Wings.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Chandler Stephenson - 40 points (11G, 29A)
Mark Stone - 38 points (17G, 21A)
Jack Eichel - 34 points (15G, 19A)
Reilly Smith - 31 points (18G, 13A)
William Karlsson - 31 points (10G, 21A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 29 points (15G, 14A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 29 points (5G, 24A)
MILESTONE WATCH
William Karlsson - one assist away from 200 NHL assists
Reilly Smith - eight goals away from 200 NHL goals
Chandler Stephenson - six points away from 200 NHL points
Jonathan Marchessault - 10 points away from 400 NHL points
Phil Kessel - two goals away from entering NHL top 100 career goals
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Seattle Kraken - 27-14-4, 58 points
Vegas Golden Knights - 28-16-2, 58 points
Los Angeles Kings - 25-16-6, 56 points
Edmonton Oilers - 26-18-3, 55 points
Calgary Flames - 21-16-9, 51 points
Vancouver Canucks - 18-24-3, 39 points
San Jose Sharks - 14-23-9, 37 points
Anaheim Ducks - 13-28-5, 31 points
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Heading into the game against Vegas, Washington holds fourth place in the Metropolitan Division with 56 points. They have won two of their last five. On Thursday night, they beat the Arizona Coyotes 4-0. Team captain Alex Ovechkin is the team's points leader with 52 (30G, 22A). Ovechkin passed Gordie Howe for second on the all-time goals list when the forward scored his 802nd career goal earlier this season. Evgeny Kuznetsov is second for the team in points with 39 (6G, 33A) and Dylan Strome has 34 (11G, 23A).
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 245th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights an 8-2-0 record against the Capitals all time
KEYS TO THE GAME
Power play: Washington has a strong penalty kill, ranked eighth in the league at 81.5%. The Golden Knights have not been consistent offensively, so the power play must be efficient if they want to score against the Capitals' skilled special teams.
Strong goaltending: The Capitals have an impressive goaltending duo, with both net minders matching up evenly against the Golden Knights. Darcy Kuemper has a 2.46 GAA with a .920% save percentage. He's also recorded five shutouts so far this season. Charlie Lindgren holds a 2.62 GAA and a .910% save percentage. For Vegas, Logan Thompson has a 2.72 GAA and a .913% save percentage. Adin Hill possesses a 2.65 GAA and a .907% save percentage. Whoever is in the crease for Vegas will have a solid matchup at the other end of the ice.