Morning Skate Report: Oct. 4, 2026

The Vegas Golden Knights (1-1-0) take on the Vancouver Canucks (2-1-0) for their first road game of the season on Sunday at 6 p.m. PT at Rogers Arena.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Scripps Sports (The Spot-Vegas 34 in Vegas; full network)
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: X 107.9 | 105.7 Maxima

NOTES
Brayden McNabb, Shea Theodore, Victor Olofsson, Jack Eichel enter Sunday’s matchup on two-game point streaks.

Eichel has posted five points (1G, 4A) in five games and is tied for third in the NHL in points.

Vegas is 8-2-0 in its last 10 meetings with Vancouver.

VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Mark Stone – Three points away from 400 points as a Golden Knight

CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Nic Dowd – Two points away from 200 NHL points
Brayden McNabb – Six points away from 200 NHL points
Jack Eichel – Eight games away from 700 NHL games
Brett Howden – Nine games away from 500 NHL games

VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 5 points (1G, 4A)
Shea Theodore – 3 points (1G, 2A)
Brayden McNabb – 3 points (3A)
Victor Olofsson – 2 points (1G, 1A)
Ivan Barbashev – 2 points (2A)

BY THE NUMBERS
2 – Jack Eichel became the second Golden Knights player to start a season with back-to-back multi-assist games, following Mark Stone in the 2025-26 season.

4 – Eichel’s four assists are tied for third in the NHL. Brayden McNabb is tied for seventh in the NHL with three assists.

10 – Marc Gatcomb leads Vegas with 10 hits through two games.

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights’ third period comeback fell short in a 4-3 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Friday at T-Mobile Arena for the team’s first loss of the season. The Ducks took a 4-0 lead heading into the third period with goals from Beckett Sennecke, Alex Killorn, Jeff Malott, and Leo Carlsson. Shea Theodore led the comeback charge five minutes into the third period before Tomas Hertl scored on the power play to cut Anaheim’s lead in half. With 2:50 remaining in regulation, Braeden Bowman tallied his first goal of the season to bring Vegas within one. The Ducks held on for the remaining minutes, earning their first win of the season.

2025-26 SEASON SERIES
Vegas posted a 3-0-0 record against Vancouver during the 2025-26 season. The teams met for the first time on Feb. 4 at T-Mobile Arena where the Golden Knights skated to a 5-2 win. Jack Eichel (1G, 1A) and Mark Stone (2A) each tallied two-point nights, while Ivan Barbashev and Alexander Holtz each scored a goal in the win. The clubs faced off once again on March 30 at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas earned the 4-2 victory with 11 different Golden Knights posting a point. The win was John Tortorella’s first as Vegas head coach, and Adin Hill earned the decision in net with 22 stops. A week later, Vegas defeated Vancouver 2-1 at Rogers Arena. Brayden McNabb (1G), Shea Theodore (1A), and Nic Dowd (1A) recorded a point in the final meeting. Carter Hart posted his third-straight win in net since returning from injury in early April.

OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Vancouver Canucks own a 2-1-0 record through their first three games of the 2026-27 season. The club opened the campaign with a home-and-home against the Edmonton Oilers, resulting in a 6-5 overtime road win on Sept. 29, followed by a 9-7 loss on Oct. 1. Vancouver defeated the Calgary Flames 4-1 on Saturday at Rogers Arena, with goals from Liam Ohgren, Elias Pettersson, Drew O’Connor and Aatu Raty, with Leevi Meriläinen earning his first NHL win in the crease.

During the offseason, the Canucks boosted their blueline by signing veteran defensemen Luke Schenn and Jamie Oleksiak on July 1. Vancouver acquired Brendan Gallagher from the Montreal Canadiens and added Paul Cotter to the roster in an effort to build a heavy fourth line. Manny Malhotra was hired as head coach on June 1. Malhotra coached the Abbotsford Canucks, the AHL affiliate of Vancouver, for two seasons, including a Calder Cup championship.

PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Edmonton Oilers – 2-0-1, 5 points
San Jose Sharks – 2-0-0, 4 points
Vancouver Canucks – 2-1-0, 4 points
Anaheim Ducks – 1-0-0, 2 points
Seattle Kraken – 1-1-0, 2 points
Vegas Golden Knights – 1-0-0, 2 points
Los Angeles Kings – 0-1-1, 1 point
Calgary Flames – 0-2-0, 0 points

A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
- Mark the 403rd win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 22-4-3 all-time record against Vancouver
- Give the Golden Knights a 12-1-2 record against Vancouver at Rogers Arena

KEYS TO THE GAME
New Year, New Team: After falling into a 4-0 hole against Anaheim on Friday, the Golden Knights showed their ability to respond and tilt the ice back in their favor. Head Coach Ryan Craig emphasized the importance of avoiding those slow starts moving forward, but if Vegas does find itself trailing, utilizing reset shifts, playing below the goal line and regaining control of the game will be key.

Live and Learn: Despite the final result on Friday, the Golden Knights liked their game late against Anaheim, with Brett Howden emphasizing the importance of learning from the loss and moving forward. As Vegas begins its first road trip of the season, carrying that same urgency and assertiveness from the third period into Sunday’s matchup will be key to starting the road trip with the right mindset.