Morning Skate Report: Feb. 27, 2026

The Vegas Golden Knights (28-16-14) battle the Washington Capitals (30-23-7) for the first time this season on Friday at 4 p.m. PT at Capital One Arena.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Scripps Sports (The Spot-Vegas 34 in Vegas; full network)
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 94.7/1340

NOTES
Ivan Barbashev tallied an empty-netter to boost his point streak to six games (5G, 2A).

Jeremy Lauzon registered a season-high 10 hits in the matchup against the Kings on Wednesday, the third most in his career.

Pavel Dorofeyev (2G) notched his fifth multi-goal appearance of the season on Wednesday night, matching the fourth most in franchise history.

Brayden McNabb (2A), Brandon Saad (1G), and Colton Sissons (1G, 1A), secured five combined points in their return to the lineup on Wednesday night.

VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Shea Theodore – Seven assists away from 300 assists as a Golden Knight
Jack Eichel – Eight games away from 300 games as a Golden Knight

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Mitch Marner – One point away from 800 career points
Colton Sissons – One goal away from 100 career goals 
Adin Hill – One game away from 200 career games
Tomas Hertl – One point away from 600 career points
Mark Stone – Six points away from 700 career points
Rasmus Andersson – Six games away from 600 career games

VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 68 points (21G, 47A)
Mark Stone – 60 points (21G, 39A)
Mitch Marner – 58 points (16G, 42A)
Tomas Hertl – 50 points (22G, 28A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 46 points (28G, 18A)

BY THE NUMBERS
6 – Six Golden Knights recorded multi-point nights on Wednesday in Los Angeles, including Pavel Dorofeyev (2G), Colton Sissons (1G, 1A), Reilly Smith (1G, 1A), Tanner Laczynski (3A), Brayden McNabb (2A) and Braeden Bowman (2A).

15 – Pavel Dorofeyev set a new franchise record with his 15^th power play goal of the season and sits second in the NHL in that category.

28 – Dorofeyev leads the Golden Knights with 28 goals, tied for the ninth most of any skater in the NHL.

80 – The Golden Knights lead the league with 80 third-period goals.

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights beat the Kings, 6-4, to close out the season series with Los Angeles on Wednesday at Crypto.com Arena. Pavel Dorofeyev netted two goals, while Colton Sissons, Brandon Saad, Reilly Smith, and Ivan Barbashev each found the back of the net. Trailing by a goal in the third, the Golden Knights tied a franchise-high five-goal frame to secure the win in Los Angeles. Adin Hill tallied his first point of the season with a helper on Sissons’ goal, earned his second straight win against the Kings, and stopped 15 shots to lift the Golden Knights to the 6-4 victory.

2024-25 SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights lost both meetings with the Washington Capitals last season. On Oct. 15, 2024, at Capital One Arena, the Golden Knights fell, 4-2, to the Capitals. Despite the loss, Jack Eichel recorded a goal, and Mark Stone picked up a pair of assists. Jakub Vrana, Tom Wilson, Aliaksei Protas, and Jakob Chychrun all scored goals to take the victory over Vegas. A month later on Nov. 17, 2024, the teams met again at T-Mobile Arena, where Washington wrapped up the season series with a 5-2 win over the Golden Knights. Brett Howden and Keegan Kolesar netted goals in the loss. On the other end, Alex Ovechkin registered a hat-trick, while Chychrun and Vrana tallied the club’s other goals in the win.

OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Capitals sit fourth in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 30-23-7 and 67 points. The Caps have found the win column in five of their last six games and are on a two-game win streak coming into Friday’s matchup with the Golden Knights. After returning from the Olympic pause, Washington beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 3-1, at Capital One Arena on Wednesday. Logan Thompson and Tom Wilson represented Team Canada at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics and took home silver medals. Wilson leads the Washington lineup with 49 points (23G, 26A), followed by Alex Ovechkin with 48 points (22G, 26A), as well as Jakob Chychrun (21G, 26A) and Dylan Strome (16G, 31A) with 47 points each.

PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights – 28-16-14, 70 points
Edmonton Oilers – 29-23-8, 66 points
Anaheim Ducks – 31-23-3, 65 points
Seattle Kraken – 27-22-9, 63 points
Los Angeles Kings – 23-21-14, 60 points
San Jose Sharks – 27-25-4, 58 points
Calgary Flames – 24-27-6, 54 points
Vancouver Canucks – 18-33-7, 43 points

A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 390th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 10-5-0 all-time record against the Capitals
- Extend the Golden Knights win streak to four games

KEYS TO THE GAME
Depth in the Lines: Despite being without some of the primary drivers of offense, five different forwards netted goals in Wednesday’s contest against the Los Angeles Kings, demonstrating the strength throughout the lineup. Pavel Dorofeyev, who added two goals in the win, said that good teams lift each other no matter what, emphasizing the importance of the next-man-up mentality.

Continue the Momentum: The Golden Knights have extended their win streak to three games, and Head Coach Bruce Cassidy liked the group’s defensive and offensive pressure, as well as the team’s discipline in Wednesday’s game. The Golden Knights need to build on these victories and stay focused on sharpening all areas of the game for the remainder of the road trip.