The Vegas Golden Knights (32-26-15) continue their homestand as they face off with the Washington Capitals (36-28-9) Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Scripps Sports (The Spot-Vegas 34 in Vegas; full network)
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 94.7/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
NOTES
Mark Stone tallied two goals on Thursday, and the captain leads the Golden Knights franchise in multi-point games with 102.
Ivan Barbashev registered a goal and an assist to stretch his point streak to four games with two goals and three assists in that span.
Pavel Dorofeyev added a helper Thursday and has 19 points (10G, 9A) in his last 19 appearances dating to the start of February.
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Shea Theodore – One assist away from 300 assists as a Golden Knight
Mark Stone – Eight games away from 400 games as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Mark Stone – Two points away from 700 career points
Shea Theodore – Three points away from 400 career points
Ivan Barbashev – Five assists away from 200 career assists
Nic Dowd – Seven points away from 200 career points
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 75 points (24G, 51A)
Mitch Marner – 70 points (19G, 51A)
Mark Stone – 64 points (23G, 41A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 58 points (34G, 25A)
Tomas Hertl – 54 points (24G, 30A)
BY THE NUMBERS
6 – With a goal Saturday, Marner would become the sixth Vegas skater with at least 20 goals, marking the first time in franchise history that the Golden Knights have had at least six 20+ goal scorers in a season.
18 – Thursday marked Stone’s 18th multi-goal game with Vegas, moving him into sole possession of fourth in multi-goal outings in club history.
24 - Mitch Marner holds the second most multi-point games in a single campaign in Golden Knights history with 24.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights came away with a point in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday at T-Mobile Arena. Mark Stone netted two goals, and Ivan Barbashev buried a rebound in the third period to bring Vegas level and force overtime. Evan Bouchard ended it with under two minutes remaining in the extra frame, lifting Edmonton to the win.
SEASON SERIES
Saturday’s matchup is the second and final meeting between Vegas and Washington this season, with the Capitals holding a 1-0-0 edge after a 3-2 win on Feb. 27 at Capital One Arena. Pierre-Luc Dubois scored twice inside the first four minutes of the second period, and Jakob Chychrun added a third to send the Capitals into the final frame leading 3-0. Braeden Bowman and Tomas Hertl pulled Vegas within one in the third, but Washington held on to close a 3-2 win on home ice.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Washington Capitals arrive to T-Mobile Arena sitting sixth in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 36-28-9 and 81 points, six shy of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. The Capitals have gone 5-3-2 in their last 10 games, most recently picking up a 7-4 road win over Utah on Thursday. Alex Ovechkin added another accolade to his arsenal on Sunday, reaching 1,000 career goals in the regular season and playoffs combined. Courtesy of his hat trick on Thursday, Ovechkin enters Saturday's matchup with 1,003 combined goals and the fourth most hat tricks in NHL history. The Capitals captain paces the Washington lineup with 56 points (29G, 27A), trailed closely by Jakob Chychrun (23G, 30A) and Dylan Strome (16G, 37A) each with 53, and Tom Wilson with 52 points (27G, 25A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Anaheim Ducks – 41-27-4, 86 points
Edmonton Oilers – 36-28-9, 81 points
Vegas Golden Knights – 32-26-15, 79 points
Los Angeles Kings – 29-25-18, 76 points
Seattle Kraken – 32-29-10, 74 points
San Jose Sharks – 32-31-7, 71 points
Calgary Flames – 30-34-8, 68 points
Vancouver Canucks – 21-42-8, 50 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 395th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 10-6-0 all-time record against the Capitals
- Give the Golden Knights a 7-1-0 all-time record against the Capitals at T-Mobile Arena
KEYS TO THE GAME
Second Chance Goals: Many of Vegas’ recent goals have come from recovering pucks in greasy areas and burying second chances after getting a shot on net. Head Coach Bruce Cassidy pointed to scoring off rebounds as a necessity for the team, and they can continue to gain an advantage around the net by being in the right place and generating a high volume of shots on net.
Dominate Zone Time: Facing his former club, Nic Dowd emphasized the importance of keeping the puck in Washington’s zone and forcing them to defend for the bulk of the 60 minutes. Owning the shot battle and trying to disrupt the goaltender’s sight lines will help Vegas get pucks into the Capitals’ net and keep them on their heels throughout.
