Morning Skate Report: March 30, 2024

The Vegas Golden Knights (40-25-8) conclude their road trip facing off against the Minnesota Wild (35-28-9) for the second time this season on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PT at Xcel Energy Center.

BROADCAST INFORMATIONTV: ESPN+, Hulu
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340

NOTESSaturday’s game is the second of three meetings this season between Vegas and Minnesota. The Wild picked up a 5-3 win in their first meeting on Feb. 12 at T-Mobile Arena.

Vegas is 7-2-1 in its last 10 games played, while Minnesota is 6-1-3.

Anthony Mantha can extend his point streak to five games with a point in Saturday’s matchup.

VGK MILESTONE WATCHJonathan Marchessault – four goals away from tying the franchise single-season goal record (William Karlsson, 43)
Ivan Barbashev – four games away from 100 games played as a Golden Knight
William Karlsson – seven games away from 500 games played as a Golden Knight
Brayden McNabb- seven games away from 500 games played as a Golden Knight

CAREER MILESTONE WATCHBen Hutton – two assists away from 100 career assists
Jack Eichel – two assists away from 300 career assists
Brett Howden – two points away from 100 career points
Logan Thompson - three games away from 100 career games
Alec Martinez - seven assists away from 200 career assists
Nicolas Roy - eight games away from 300 career games
Anthony Mantha - eight points away from 300 career points

VGK SCORING LEADERSJonathan Marchessault – 62 points (39G, 23A)
Jack Eichel – 57 points (25G, 32A)
Mark Stone – 53 points (16G, 37A)
William Karlsson – 51 points (25G, 26A)
Chandler Stephenson – 45 points (15G, 30A)
Ivan Barbashev – 42 points (18G, 24A)
Noah Hanifin – 40 points (11G, 29A)

LAST TIME OUTThe Golden Knights defeated the Winnipeg Jets, 4-1, on Thursday night at Canada Life Centre. Pavel Dorofeyev gave Vegas a 1-0 lead in the first period with his 12^th goal of the season. Winnipeg responded to tie the game in the second frame before Vegas’ Ivan Barbashev and Jack Eichel netted three unanswered goals in the third to secure their 4-1 win.

2023-24 SEASON SERIESThe Golden Knights have a 0-1-0 record against the Wild this season. Minnesota skated away with a 5-3 win on Feb. 12 at T-Mobile Arena. The first period ended tied 2-2 after goals from Jonathan Marchessault and Michael Amadio. After a scoreless second period, the Wild scored two consecutive goals just over a minute apart before Mark Stone brought Vegas within one. An empty-net goal from Minnesota cemented its 5-3 win.

OPPOSITION UPDATEThe Minnesota Wild hold sixth place in the Central Division with 79 points. The Wild snapped a two-game losing streak with their 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center. Joel Eriksson Ek gave Minnesota an early lead in the first before San Jose tied the game in the second period. Minnesota broke the tie with goals from Matt Boldy and Ryan Hartman. Filip Gustavsson made 26 saves in the win. Kirill Kaprizov (36G, 45A) leads the team in points with 81.

A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
-Mark the 308^th win in franchise history
-Improve the Golden Knights’ all-time record against the Wild to 11-12-1
-Improve the team's record for afternoon road games to 3-3-1
-Give Vegas 90 points on the season

KEYS TO THE GAME
Penalty Kill: In Thursday’s matchup against the Winnipeg Jets, Vegas went 5-5 on the penalty kill. As they head into an important game, the Golden Knights need to continue killing penalties against Minnesota's power play that clicks at 21.3 percent (16th in NHL).

Playoff Energy: As the season heads into April, points get more and more important. With its win against Winnipeg on Thursday, Vegas moved up into third in the Pacific, however, the Los Angeles Kings are only one point behind. Continuing to compete and earn points will help Vegas separate itself from teams close behind.