BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340
NOTES
Saturday's game is the first meeting of the 2022-2023 season between the Golden Knights and Canadiens.
This is Vegas' third game of a five-game road trip. The remaining stops include Toronto and Buffalo. The Golden Knights are 2-0-0 so far on the five-game stint.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights won their sixth game in a row in a 5-4 victory against the Ottawa Senators. Former Senator Mark Stone opened the scoring for Vegas early in the first before Claude Giroux tied things at 1-1. The Golden Knights put up four goals in a row from Reilly Smith, Zach Whitecloud, Chandler Stephenson and William Carrier to take a 5-1 lead. Ottawa responded with a goal from Giroux and two goals from Tim Stutlze, but Vegas held on to take the 5-4 win.
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel - 13 points (5G, 8A)
Chandler Stephenson - 10 points (5G, 5A)
Mark Stone - 10 points (4G, 5A)
William Karlsson - 9 points (4G, 5A)
Alex Pietrangelo - 9 points (9A)
Jonathan Marchessault - 8 points (5G, 3A)
Reilly Smith - 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 - two games away from 700 NHL games played
Alec Martinez - two games away from 700 NHL games played
Alex Pietrangelo - nine games away from 900 NHL games played
Jonathan Marchessault - eight games away from 500 NHL games played
Alex Pietrangelo - two assists away from 500 assists
Brayden McNabb - three assists away from 100 assists
Jack Eichel - seven points away from 400 points
PACIFIC DIVISION PICTURE
Vegas Golden Knights - 10-2-0, 20 points
Edmonton Oilers - 7-4-0, 14 points
Seattle Kraken - 6-4-2, 14 points
Los Angeles Kings - 6-6-1, 13 points
Calgary Flames - 5-4-0, 10 points
Vancouver Canucks - 3-6-2, 8 points
San Jose Sharks - 3-8-2, 8 points
Anaheim Ducks - 2-7-1, 7 points
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Canadiens are 5-5-1 so far this season and are in seventh place in the Atlantic Division with 11 points. Montreal has been hot and cold to start the season and have lost two in a row. On Thursday, they fell to the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 3-2 in overtime. Montreal also lost 4-1 to Minnesota on Tuesday. Nick Suzuki, who was selected by Vegas 13th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, leads the team in scoring with 13 points (6G, 7A). Cole Caufield has 12 points (7G, 5A) and Kirby Dach has a total of 7 points (2G, 5A).
The 2021-2022 season for the Canadiens resulted in finishing last in the Atlantic Division with a record of 22-49-11. In July, they drafted Juraj Slafkovský first overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. He currently has two points (2G) in eight games for the club.
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 225th win in franchise history
- Give Vegas its seven-game win streak since April of 2021 when the team won a franchise-record 10 consecutive games
KEYS TO THE GAME
Power play advantage: Montreal is ranked 29th in power play percentage. If the Golden Knights go down a man, their penalty kill has a good chance of keeping the puck out of the net.
Goaltending: Vegas has had more success in the goaltending department this year. Montreal's duo consists of Jake Allen and Sam Montembeault, who both have higher GAA's and lower save percentages than Logan Thompson and Adin Hill. The Golden Knights should generate as much offense as possible to put pressure on the opponent's goalie.
