The Vegas Golden Knights (32-26-16) host the Vancouver Canucks (21-43-8) Monday at T-Mobile Arena with puck drop at 7 p.m.
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
John Tortorella will make his debut behind the Vegas bench after being named the team’s new Head Coach on Sunday.
Nic Dowd tallied his first goal with the Golden Knights on Saturday for an unassisted, shorthanded goal.
Rasmus Andersson recorded his first shorthanded goal of the campaign, third of his career, and stretched his season total goals to a career-high 14.
Jack Eichel added a goal and two assists on Saturday, and has four points (1G, 3A) in his last two games.
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 – Six points away from 200 career points
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 78 points (25G, 53A)
Mitch Marner – 71 points (20G, 51A)
Mark Stone – 64 points (23G, 41A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 60 points (34G, 26A)
Tomas Hertl – 54 points (24G, 30A)
BY THE NUMBERS
20 – Mitch Marner registered his 20th goal of the season on the power play. The Golden Knights are tied for the most 20-goal scorers in the NHL this season (6).
24 – Jack Eichel’s three-point outing marked his 24th multi-point performance this season, tying Marner for second most in a campaign in franchise history.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights rallied from a three-goal deficit before falling, 5-4, in a shootout to the Washington Capitals on Saturday. Nic Dowd notched his first goal since joining Vegas with an unassisted, shorthanded goal halfway through the second frame. Rasmus Andersson beat two defenders on the rush for another shorthanded goal 25 seconds later, and Jack Eichel added his 25th goal to end the second period at 3-3. Mitch Marner buried a power-play goal less than a minute into the third period, but Dylan Strome fired back with a power-play mark of his own to bring Washington even and force overtime. After a scoreless extra frame, Strome scored the only goal of the shootout to lift the Capitals to a 5-4 win.
SEASON SERIES
Vegas is set to meet Vancouver for the second time this season. In their first meeting, the Golden Knights came away with a commanding 5-2 win on Feb. 4 at T-Mobile Arena. After a quiet opening frame, Jack Eichel put the Golden Knights on the board five minutes into the second period, starting a frenzy of four goals between the two teams in under three minutes that left Vegas with a 3-1 lead. Pierre-Olivier Joseph found the net in the final 10 seconds before the second intermission to bring Vancouver within one, but Pavel Dorofeyev and Alexander Holtz both struck in the first four minutes of the closing frame to allow Vegas to cruise to a 5-2 victory. Akira Schmid turned aside 21 of the 23 shots he faced to earn his 16th win on the season.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Vancouver Canucks enter Monday’s game with a 21-43-8 record and an NHL-low 50 points this season as they occupy last place in the Pacific Division. The Canucks just closed a season-long eight game homestand where they went 2-6-0, before traveling to Calgary and falling, 7-3, to the Flames. On March 22, Vancouver was officially eliminated from playoff contention. Elias Petterson leads the way for Vancouver with 45 points (15G, 30A), followed by Filip Hronek with 41 points (8G, 33A) and Brock Boeser with 38 points (17G, 21A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Anaheim Ducks – 41-28-4, 86 points
Edmonton Oilers – 37-28-9, 83 points
Vegas Golden Knights – 32-26-16, 80 points
Los Angeles Kings – 29-26-18, 76 points
Seattle Kraken – 32-29-11, 75 points
San Jose Sharks – 33-31-7, 73 points
Calgary Flames – 31-34-8, 70 points
Vancouver Canucks – 21-43-8, 50 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 395th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 20-4-3 all-time record against the Canucks
- Give the Golden Knights a 10-3-1 all-time record against the Canucks at T-Mobile Arena
KEYS TO THE GAME
Stars Deliver: Mark Stone, Mitch Marner and Jack Eichel have combined for seven points over the last two games and keeping that production rolling against a vulnerable Vancouver group could be the difference. When the team’s top pieces are generating at that clip, Vegas is a difficult team to contain.
Keep it Quiet: Vancouver has managed just 180 goals this season, the fewest in the NHL. Vegas can take the air out of the Canucks’ attack by staying structured in its own zone, limiting odd-man rushes and keeping the forecheck contained. If the Golden Knights play a clean 200-foot game, they can dominate O-zone time and keep pressure on Vancouver throughout.
