Morning Skate Report: Jan. 5, 2023
Golden Knights host Pride Knight at home against Penguins
By
Caylee Allard
VegasGoldenKnights.com
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
NOTES
This is the second meeting of the season between the Golden Knights and Penguins.
Vegas will wear specialty warmup jerseys for Pride Knight.
PRIDE KNIGHT
The Golden Knights will wear specialty jerseys during warmups which will be signed and will be available for auction. Nameplates will be bundled with jerseys and player-used, rainbow-taped sticks will also be available for purchase at the online auction. A portion of the stick auction proceeds will be given to the You Can Play Project, in support of the NHL's You Can Play initiative. The specialty jersey focuses on the theme of "Wandering and Coming Home in Vegas," a narrative that ties the Knights, the LGBTQ+, and the Las Vegas communities together. Mio Linzie, a Swedish illustrator, created the team's jersey for PRIDE Knight.
To participate in the online auction, fans can visit PrideKnight.givesmart.com or text "PrideKnight" to 76278. The auction will begin at 5:45 p.m. PT and conclude at 9 p.m. PT that evening. Following puck drop, a limited amount of warmup pucks will be available for purchase outside of Section 11 and Section 12 inside T-Mobile Arena. A portion of the proceeds from Thursday will benefit the Henderson Equality Center.
The Center, the Henderson Equality Center, and the House of Vegas PRIDE will all have activations set on the concourse inside T-Mobile Arena during the game that will share more information with fans in attendance. PRIDE Festivities will begin outside during the pregame march, which will feature Drag Queens from RuPaul's Drag Race who will be walking with pride flags, banners, and signs.
SEASON SERIES
The last time both clubs met was on Dec. 1 at PPG Paints Arena in which Pittsburgh won, 4-3. Jack Eichel and Reilly Smith started things out for Vegas with a goal each, but Pittsburgh tied it 2-2 in the middle frame. Shea Theodore regained the lead for the Golden Knights, but the Penguins scored two more to bring the final score to 4-3.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights defeated the Colorado Avalanche on Monday night, 3-2, at Ball Arena. Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen scored the only goals for the Avalanche. Michael Amadio scored once, and Nicolas Roy scored twice for Vegas in the victory.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Chandler Stephenson - 39 points (10G, 29A)
Mark Stone - 36 points (16G, 20A)
Jack Eichel - 29 points (13G, 16A)
Reilly Smith - 28 points (18G, 10A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 28 points (4G, 24A)
William Karlsson - 26 points (7G, 19A)
MILESTONE WATCH
William Karlsson - three assists away from 200 assists
Mark Stone - five goals away from 200 NHL goals
Reilly Smith - eight goals away from 200 NHL goals
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Vegas Golden Knights - 26-12-2, 54 points
Los Angeles Kings - 22-13-6, 50 points
Seattle Kraken - 20-12-4, 44 points
Calgary Flames - 18-14-7, 43 points
Edmonton Oilers - 20-17-2, 42 points
Vancouver Canucks - 16-18-3, 35 points
San Jose Sharks - 12-20-7, 31 points
Anaheim Ducks - 11-24-4, 26 points
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Entering Thursday's game, the Penguins are on a five-game losing streak. Their most recent loss came against the Boston Bruins on Monday, 2-1, in the Winter Classic. Sidney Crosby is the team's leader in points with 43 (19G, 24A). Evgeni Malkin has 34 points (12G, 22A) and Jake Guentzel is behind him with 33 (15G, 18A).
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 243rd win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights an 4-6-0 record against the Penguins all-time
KEYS TO THE GAME
Power play:Pittsburgh's penalty kill is ranked second in the league at 84.3%. The Golden Knights must have a strong power play if they want to generate as much offense as possible.
Goaltending: With Tristan Jarry expected to miss the game due to injury, Pittsburgh will have to lean on Casey DeSmith between the pipes. Whether Vegas gives the nod to Logan Thompson or Adin Hill, the goal will be to be better than the netminder at the other end of the ice.
