Morning Skate Report: March 16, 2023

The Vegas Golden Knights (42-20-6) return to Vegas to face division rival Calgary Flames (30-24-14) 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

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.

ST. PATRICK'S DAY CELEBRATION
Fans can expect special performances throughout the evening beginning with a pregame concert performed by The Black Donnellys on the Allegiant Stage at Toshiba Plaza. At first intermission, bagpiper Andrew Fusco will perform, who recently appeared at Adele's Las Vegas residency.
During warm-ups, the Golden Knights will take to the ice in their green St. Patrick's Day jerseys. Following warm-ups, fans will have the opportunity to own these authentic sweaters as they will be signed and available for purchase. These St. Patrick's Day sweaters will be sold by VGK Authentics on a first-come, first-served basis. Jerseys and nameplates will be bundled together and warm-up pucks will also be available for purchase outside of Section 11 and Section 12 inside T-Mobile Arena. A portion of the proceeds from Thursday will go to the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation to be donated as part of their ongoing commitment to Green Our Planet, a non-profit organization that works with Nevada schools to educate students on the environment and the importance of conservation.
Other St. Patrick's Day themed Golden Knights apparel will be available for purchase at The Arsenal at City National Arena or at The Armory at T-Mobile Arena.
NOTES
Vegas is on a four-game win streak coming off a five-game road trip, securing 8 out of 10 points.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
Pacific Division:
1. Vegas Golden Knights - 42-20-6, 90 points
2. Los Angeles Kings - 39-20-9, 87 points
3. Edmonton Oilers - 37-23-8, 82 points

Central Division:
1. Dallas Stars - 37-18-13, 87 points
2. Minnesota Wild - 39-21-8, 86 points
3. Colorado Avalanche - 38-22-6, 82 points

Wild Card:
1. Seattle Kraken - 37-23-7, 81 points
2. Winnipeg Jets - 38-27-3, 79 points
3. Nashville Predators - 34-24-7, 75 points

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

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-3, on Tuesday night at Wells Fargo Center. Ivan Barbashev notched two goals in the victory. Teddy Blueger recorded his first goal as a Golden Knight, while Pavel Dorofeyev and Jonathan Marchessault scored the remaining goals for Vegas.
SEASON SERIES
Vegas is 1-1-0 against the Flames so far this season. The teams first faced off on Oct. 18, in which Vegas lost 3-2 for their first loss of the 2022-2023 season. Most recently, the Golden Knights defeated the flames by a score of 4-3 on Feb. 23 in overtime.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Chandler Stephenson - 53 points (13G, 40A)
Jack Eichel - 51 points (23G, 28A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 48 points (22G, 26A)
Reilly Smith - 47 points (22G, 25A)
William Karlsson - 44 points (13G, 31A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 40 points (9G, 31A)
Mark Stone - 38 points (17G, 21A)
Shea Theodore - 37 points (8G, 29A)
Ivan Barbashev - 37 points (14G, 23A)
MILESTONE WATCH
Jonathan Quick - two shutouts away from 60 career shutouts
Teddy Blueger - four points away from 100 NHL points
Reilly Smith - four goals away from 200 NHL goals
Shea Theodore - six assists away from 200 NHL assists
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Vegas Golden Knights - 42-20-6, 90 points
Los Angeles Kings - 39-20-9, 87 points
Edmonton Oilers - 37-23-8, 82 points
Seattle Kraken - 37-23-7, 81 points
Calgary Flames - 30-24-14, 74 points
Vancouver Canucks - 29-32-5, 63 points
Anaheim Ducks - 22-36-10, 54 points
San Jose Sharks - 19-36-13, 51 points
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Entering Thursday's game, Calgary is currently sitting out of a playoff spot in the Pacific Division with a 30-24-14 record and 74 points. They are 3-4-3 in their last 10 games, most recently suffering a 4-3 overtime loss to the Arizona Coyotes on Tuesday night. Tyler Toffoli leads the team with 56 points (26G, 30A). Elias Lindholm is second on the team with 55 points (19G, 36A) with Nazem Kadri ranked third with 49 (21G, 28A).
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 259th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 12-5-0 record against Calgary all time
KEYS TO THE GAME
Power play: Vegas has seen a surge in their power play recently, having scored two power-play goals during their last outing against the Flyers. Vegas has struggled to capitalize on the power play most of the season, so they should keep the goals coming on the man advantage - especially in the midst of a crucial point of the season.
Chemistry:The Golden Knights have been clicking well recently, even with new additions to the team. They should continue the positive atmosphere going forward, especially with back-and-forth travel and a packed schedule during the month of March.