Morning Skate Report: May 28, 2021

For the first time in franchise history, the Vegas Golden Knights will play a Game 7 on home ice as they host the Minnesota Wild on Friday at 6 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena. The winner of Friday's game will advance to face the Colorado Avalanche in the Stanley Cup Playoffs Second Round.
NOTES
Max Pacioretty and Tomas Nosek are game time decisions for the Golden Knights. Brayden McNabb and Ryan Reaves are unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: AT&T SportsNet (pregame show at 5:30 p.m.)
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 (pregame show at 5 p.m.)
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO
The Vegas Golden Knights have outlined specific safety protocols to ensure that all fans at T-Mobile Arena have a fun and safe experience. Please
click here
for safety protocols, information on the CLEAR app, mask policies and parking information.
Additionally, The Golden Knights Express is in operation for the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Click
here
for transportation information from the RTC.
LAST TIME OUT
Minnesota forced Game 7 with a 3-0 win in Game 6 on Wednesday night at Xcel Energy Center. Ryan Hartman, Kevin Fiala and Nick Bjugstad scored for the Wild.
THE SERIES SO FAR
Game 1: Wild 1, Golden Knights 0 (OT)
Game 2: Golden Knights 3, Wild 1
Game 3: Golden Knights 5, Wild 2
Game 4: Golden Knights 4, Wild 0
Game 5: Wild 4, Golden Knights 2
Game 6: Wild 3, Golden Knights 0
SERIES LEADERS
Mark Stone: Stone has posted four points (4G, 1A) in six games.
Alex Tuch: Tuch has posted four points (3G, 1A) in the series.
Reilly Smith: Smith potted the game-winning goal in Game 3 and has three points (1G, 2A) in the series.
William Karlsson: Karlsson has chipped in with three points (1G, 2A).
Jordan Greenway: Greenway has three points (1G, 2A) in the series.
2020-21 REGULAR SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights and Wild duked it out during their eight-game season series. Vegas came away with a 3-4-1 record with two wins on home ice and one at Xcel Energy Center. Three games during the season series went past regulation as the Golden Knights picked up two overtime wins and the Wild claimed one shootout victory.
Mark Stone led the Golden Knights in scoring against the Wild with 10 points (2G, 8A) in seven appearances in 2020-21. Alex Tuch (3G, 3A), Chandler Stephenson (2G, 4A) and William Karlsson (2G, 4A) each had six points against Minnesota this season.
SCOUTING REPORT
The Wild picked up the No. 3 seed in the Honda West Division with 75 points in the 56-game season. Minnesota stumbled in its final two games of the regular season as the Wild lost to the St. Louis Blues, 4-0, on May 12 and 7-3 on May 13. The Minnesota power play clicked at a 17.6 percent success rate which ranks 24th in the NHL. The Wild have a middle-of-the-road penalty kill with an 80.8 percent efficiency.
Minnesota's offense flows through 24-year-old rookie Kirill Kaprizov who led the team with 51 points (27G, 24A) in 55 games. Kevin Fiala posted an even 40 points (20G, 20A) to finish second on the team in scoring. Jordan Greenway piled up a team-high 26 assists. Cam Talbot was the go-to guy in goal for the Wild this season with a 19-8-5 record, a 2.63 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage.
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Honda West Division
No. 1 Colorado Avalanche vs. No. 4 St. Louis Blues (Avalanche win, 4-0)
No. 2 Vegas Golden Knights vs. No. 3 Minnesota Wild (Series tied, 3-3)
Scotia North Division
No. 1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. No. 4 Montreal Canadiens (Maple Leafs lead, 3-2)
No. 2 Edmonton Oilers vs. No. 3 Winnipeg Jets (Jets win, 4-0)
MassMutual East Division
No. 1 Pittsburgh Penguins vs. No. 4 New York Islanders (Islanders win, 4-2)
No. 2 Washington Capitals vs. No. 3 Boston Bruins (Bruins win, 4-1)
Discover Central Division
No. 1 Carolina Hurricanes vs. No. 4 Nashville Predators (Hurricanes win, 4-2)
No. 2 Florida Panthers vs. No. 3 Tampa Bay Lightning (Lightning win, 4-2)
VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEM SCRATCHES
Stay tuned to the Golden Knights on Twitter for updates on the lineup.
KEYS TO THE GAME PRESENTED BY TOYOTA
Fortress Factor: T-Mobile Arena will be rocking when the Golden Knights hit the ice Friday night. The team has to use that its advantage.
Who Will Be the Hero? Four different Golden Knights have Game 7 game-winning goals on their resumes. Alec Martinez, Alex Pietrangelo, Shea Theodore and Max Pacioretty have all buried a series-winning goal when it matters most. Vegas needs someone to step up against Minnesota.