The Vegas Golden Knights (8-4-5) face off against the Minnesota Wild (8-7-4) on Sunday at 3 p.m. PT at Grand Casino Arena.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Scripps Sports (The Spot-Vegas 34 in Vegas; full network)
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340
NOTES
Braeden Bowman scored his first NHL goal just two games into his career with a power-play tally in the first period against the Blues.
Reilly Smith’s two-assist outing on Saturday is his first multi-point performance of the season.
Vegas has posted a record of 4-1-2 on the road this season, earning points in six of seven away games.
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Brett Howden – Three points away from 100 points as a Golden Knight
Tomas Hertl – Four games away from 100 games as a Golden Knight
Ivan Barbashev – Eight games away from 200 games as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Pavel Dorofeyev – Two points away from 100 career points
Colton Sissons– Five goals away from 100 career goals
Kaedan Korczak – Six games away from 100 career games
Shea Theodore – Nine assists away from 300 career assists
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 24 points (8G, 16A)
Mitch Marner – 19 points (4G, 15A)
Ivan Barbashev – 16 points (7G, 9A)
Tomas Hertl – 14 points (8G, 6A)
Mark Stone – 13 points (2G, 11A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 13 points (10G, 3A)
BY THE NUMBERS
1 – Noah Hanifin and Brandon Saad both notched their first goal of the season in Saturday’s win over St. Louis.
3 – Tomas Hertl extended his goal streak to three games with his third period marker on Saturday.
.654 – The Golden Knights posted the fourth highest points percentage (.654) for back-to-backs in the 2024-25 season.
LAST TIME OUT
Vegas played the first leg of the back-to-back on Saturday, skating to a 4-1 win over the St. Louis Blues at Enterprise Center. Brandon Saad opened the scoring with his first goal of the season, then Braeden Bowman followed up shortly after with his first NHL goal in just his second game. Noah Hanifin netted the only goal of the middle frame 36 seconds into the second period. Tomas Hertl scored in the third on a breakaway to extend the Golden Knights’ lead to four, before Phillip Broberg found the net late in the game to avoid the shutout. Goaltender Akira Schmid saved 22-of-23 shots on net, claiming his seventh win of the season.
24-25 SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights won all three matchups against the Wild last season, holding Minnesota to one goal in two of the three outings. The first win came on Dec. 15, 2024, as Vegas went on the road to Grand Casino Arena and grabbed a 3-2 win. Shea Theodore posted a goal and an assist, Jack Eichel added two assists, and Pavel Dorofeyev, William Karlsson and Mark Stone all added a helper. On Jan. 12, Vegas hosted Minnesota at T-Mobile Arena, skating to a dominant 4-1 victory. The Golden Knights tossed 37 shots on net and only allowed 16, with Adin Hill turning 15 of those away. Dorofeyev (2G, 1A), Tomas Hertl (1G, 1A), Stone (2A) and Shea Theodore (2A) notched multi-point performances, while Keegan Kolesar registered a goal, and Zach Whitecloud an assist. The final bout was in Minnesota on March 25, with the Golden Knights taking a 5-1 win to complete the season sweep. Eichel recorded his first hat trick of the season, and third since joining Vegas. Brett Howden added a goal, while Stone and Hanifin had two assists, and Karlsson, Korczak and Theodore each had one helper.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Minnesota Wild enter Sunday’s game with a record of 8-7-4 for 20 points and tied for fifth in the Central Division. They only won three of their 12 games in October, but have had a brighter start to November, winning five of seven. The Wild are also playing on the second leg of a back-to-back Sunday, after taking down the Ducks, 2-0, on Saturday. Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson each found the net in the win, while Jesper Wallstedt stopped all 28 shots. Kirill Kaprizov leads Minnesota in points with 22 (10G, 12A), followed by Boldy with 20 points (10G, 10A), and Johansson with 16 points (7G, 9A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Los Angeles Kings – 10-5-4, 24 points
Anaheim Ducks – 11-6-1, 23 points
Seattle Kraken – 9-4-5, 23 points
Edmonton Oilers – 9-7-4, 22 points*
Vegas Golden Knights – 8-4-5, 21 points
San Jose Sharks – 8-8-3, 19 points
Vancouver Canucks – 8-9-2, 18 points
Calgary Flames – 5-12-3, 13 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
-Mark the 370th win in franchise history
-Give the Golden Knights a 16-12-1 all-time record against the Wild
-Give the Golden Knights an 8-7-0 record at Grand Casino Arena
KEYS TO THE GAME
Don’t Chase It: With Saturday’s win, the Golden Knights are 4-1-0 on the year when they score the game’s first goal. Especially on a road trip with games on consecutive days, not falling behind will be key. Head Coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned that with a veteran group, the team will have to lean on their experience and preparation to start Sunday’s game strong.
Shot Mentality: Two Golden Knights defensemen tallied their first goals of the season in the last two games (Shea Theodore, Noah Hanifin), which is an aspect of the game that Coach Cassidy said needs to come around. Getting more pucks to the net from the blue line, and taking shots when the opportunity is there, has led to more pressure and goals.
