Lightning, Golden Knights brace for battle of NHL's best

TAMPA-- The NHL-leading Tampa Bay Lightning returned from a five-day break on Wednesday preparing to play the Vegas Golden Knights, who have the best record in the Western Conference, on Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET; SUN, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV).

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"I don't think the League knew they were going to be this good," Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said. "But it tells you a lot, not only about the quality of players that they have, but just their willingness and probably their attitude to just go have fun and play the game, and they are doing it."
The Golden Knights won the first game between the teams, 4-3 on Dec. 19, with a last-seconds goal at home.
Vegas (29-11-3) is 11-9-1 on the road but has lost two of its past three, including 1-0 at the Nashville Predators on Tuesday.
The Golden Knights lead the Pacific Division with 61 points, seven more than the San Jose Sharks and Calgary Flames, and two more than the Winnipeg Jets of the Central Division for the best record in the Western Conference.
The Lightning (31-10-3) have won nine of their past 11 games at home and are 14-4-1 in their past 19 games overall. They lead the Atlantic Division with 65 points, nine more than the Boston Bruins and six more than the Washington Capitals of the Metropolitan Division for first in the Eastern Conference.
"Best team in the League," Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault said of Tampa Bay. "They're the fastest and definitely the most skilled team in the League. We better be ready for them, for sure."

The Golden Knights have set several records for wins and winning streaks for a team in its first NHL season.
"You can't say enough about what [Vegas general manager] George McPhee has done with this group," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "It is extremely impressive. He did his homework, he prepared, and in a system that could have went either way, failure or success, they chose success."
The Lightning will be without all-star defenseman Victor Hedman, who is out 3-6 weeks with a leg injury. Defenseman Dan Girardi, who missed the past two games after getting hit in the neck by a shot against the Red Wings on Jan. 7, was paired with rookie Mikhail Sergachev during practice and will play Thursday.

Girardi said the Lightning looked more like the team they have been most of the season rather than the one that lost 5-1 to the Flames on Jan. 11 in their final game before the break.
"You're kind of ready to go after those five days," Girardi said. "You want to get back here, get after it and have a good practice like we did today. We have a big stretch of games coming up, and obviously we have a real tough opponent tomorrow in Vegas, so we need to be ready after these five days off."
The Lightning play their next seven games on the road, a three-week stretch that surrounds the 2018 Honda NHL All-Star Game at Amalie Arena on Jan. 28.
"This is a tough stretch that we have coming up here with the amount of travel and the All-Star festivities coming up here," Stamkos said. "This is where a lot of teams pull away and a lot of teams get back in the race. This is the most exciting part of the season other than the playoffs."