Morning Skate Report: Nov. 3, 2022
Vegas will go for six consecutive wins against Ottawa
By
Caylee Allard
VegasGoldenKnights.com
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340
NOTES
Tuesday's game is the first meeting of the 2022-2023 season between the Golden Knights and Senators.
This is Vegas' second game of a five-game road trip. The remaining stops include Montreal, Toronto and Buffalo. The Golden Knights are 1-0-0 so far on the five-game voyage.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights are on a five-game win streak thanks to Shea Theodore's overtime heroics against the Washington Capitals in a 3-2 win on Tuesday night. Jack Eichel tied the game at 1-1 in the first period on the power play. The Capitals answered back in the second, taking a 2-1 lead. William Carrier forced overtime by tying it 2-2 at 14:04 of the third period. In overtime, Shea Theodore potted the winner thanks to an assist from Eichel. It was Eichel's second multi-point game in a row.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel - 12 points (5G, 7A)
Chandler Stephenson - 9 points (4G, 5A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 9 points (9A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 8 points (5G, 3A)
William Karlsson - 8 points (4G, 4A)
Mark Stone - 8 points (3G, 5A)
Shea Theodore - 8 points (3G, 5A)
MILESTONE WATCH
Jonathan Marchessault - one point from 300 points as a Golden Knight
Reilly Smith - three games away from 700 NHL games played
Alec Martinez - three games away from 700 NHL games played
Alex Pietrangelo - 10 games away from 900 NHL games played
Jonathan Marchessault - nine games away from 500 NHL games played
Alex Pietrangelo - three assists away from 500 assists
Brayden McNabb - three assists away from 100 assists
Jack Eichel - eight points away from 400 points
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Vegas Golden Knights - 9-2-0, 18 points
Edmonton Oilers - 7-3-0, 14 points
Seattle Kraken - 5-4-2, 12 points
Los Angeles Kings - 6-6-0, 12 points
Calgary Flames - 5-3-0, 10 points
Anaheim Ducks - 3-6-1, 7 points
San Jose Sharks - 3-8-1, 7 points
Vancouver Canucks - 2-6-2, 6 points
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Senators are 4-5-0 and in last place in the Atlantic Division. Ottawa has had a streaky start to the season as the team opened with a pair of losses, then strung together four wins, and are riding a three-game losing streak into Thursday's contest against the Golden Knights. Their current top scorer is Brady Tkachuk with a total of 12 points (6G, 6A). Other leaders are Drake Batherson with 11 (3G, 8A) and Alex DeBrincat with eight points (2G, 6A).
Ottawa finished second to last in the division for 2021-2022. Their record was 33-42-7, with only the Montreal Canadiens behind them. They added some fire power to their roster during the offseason, signing Claude Giroux to a three-year contract and trading for Alex DeBrincat. Giroux was brought in from the Panthers after leaving the Flyers, finishing last year with 65 points (21G, 44A) in 75 games. DeBrincat posted 78 points (41G, 37A) with the Blackhawks in 2021-22.
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 224th win in franchise history
- Give Vegas a six-game win streak
KEYS TO THE GAME
Veteran presence:The Senators have a young roster. The Golden Knights have the advantage with more seasoned players, so they should capitalize on any mistakes the more inexperienced Senators may make.
Penalty kill:Vegas and Ottawa are neck and neck with their penalty kill percentage this season. Ottawa is ranked 20th in the league and Vegas is 21st. Vegas should come out with a strong power play to take advantage of Ottawa's weak PK, while also staying out of the box themselves.
