Golden Knights at Senators preview
DeBoer set for debut as Vegas coach; Ottawa looks to end eight-game winless streak
by Callum Fraser / NHL.com Independent Correspondent
GOLDEN KNIGHTS (24-19-6) at SENATORS (16-22-8)
7:30 p.m. ET; TSN5, RDS2, ATTSN-RM, NHL.TV
The Game
Peter DeBoer will coach his first game for the Vegas Golden Knights when they visit the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on Thursday.
DeBoer, who replaced the fired Gerard Gallant on Wednesday, has a record of 415-329-111 in 13 seasons as an NHL coach; he was in his fifth season as coach of the San Jose Sharks when he was fired on Dec. 11.
The Golden Knights will try to avoid a season-long five-game losing streak following a four-game winning streak.
Forward Mark Stone will return to Ottawa for the first time since being acquired by Vegas in a trade with the Senators on Feb. 25, 2019. Stone had 311 points (123 goals, 188 assists) in 366 games with Ottawa.
Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury could start for the Golden Knights; he is one win from tying Henrik Lundqvist (458) for fifth place on the NHL all-time list. Lundqvist is not scheduled to start for the New York Rangers against the New York Islanders on Thursday.
The Senators are on a season-long eight-game winless streak (0-4-4) after going 5-2-3 in their previous 10. Goalie Craig Anderson will make his first start for Ottawa since Jan. 7; he has backed up rookie Marcus Hogberg the past three games.
Players to watch
Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault has 12 points (six goals, six assists) in 11 games against Ottawa.
Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot has six points (two goals, four assists) in six games against Vegas.
They said it
"I'm excited. This is my kind of team. These are my kind of guys. They play hard, they play fast, they play heavy." -- Golden Knights coach Peter DeBoer
"This is one of the teams that can for sure win the Stanley Cup. I think they're big, they're strong, they're built for the playoffs, they have some big-time scoring, they're tough. So, this is a great test for us, for our young group to see what kind of a finished product looks like. And we're going to bang right with them." -- Senators coach D.J. Smith on facing Vegas
Golden Knights projected lineup
Jonathan Marchessault -- William Karlsson -- Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty -- Chandler Stephenson -- Mark Stone
Tomas Nosek -- Paul Stastny -- Alex Tuch
William Carrier -- Cody Eakin -- Ryan Reaves
Brayden McNabb -- Nate Schmidt
Nick Holden -- Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague -- Deryk Engelland
Marc-Andre Fleury
Malcolm Subban
Scratched: Jon Merrill, Nicolas Roy
Injured: Cody Glass (lower body)
Senators projected lineup
Brady Tkachuk -- Jean-Gabriel Pageau -- Connor Brown
Anthony Duclair -- Chris Tierney -- Drake Batherson
Filip Chlapik -- Colin White -- Tyler Ennis
Vladislav Namestnikov -- Artem Anisimov -- Scott Sabourin
Thomas Chabot -- Ron Hainsey
Mark Borowiecki -- Nikita Zaitsev
Mike Reilly -- Dylan DeMelo
Craig Anderson
Marcus Hogberg
Scratched: Mikkel Boedker, Cody Goloubef, Rudolfs Balcers
Injured: Anders Nilsson (concussion), Nick Paul (ankle)
Status report
The Golden Knights recalled Roy, a center, from Chicago of the American Hockey League; he will not play. … Duclair left practice in discomfort Wednesday but will be in the lineup.
Stat pack
Stastny has 10 points (two goals, eight assists) in 14 games against Ottawa. … The Senators are last in the NHL on the power play at 11.3 percent.