WHEN: 8:00 p.m. MT
WHERE: T-Mobile Arena - Las Vegas, Nevada
TV: SEG+, UtahHC+, Utah 16 | RADIO: KSL Sports Zone 1280 AM, NHL App
The Utah Hockey Club (9-10-4) breaches the walls of The Fortress to face the Vegas Golden Knights (15-6-3) at T-Mobile Arena tonight. This evening marks the third and final meeting of the season between the two clubs, with Vegas winning the previous two. Utah has picked up points for the standings in three of its last four games, and four of its last five games have been decided by just one goal, including the last two that have both reached overtime. With a win tonight, Utah could potentially pull within one game of a Wild Card spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.
ONE-TIMERS
- Utah played its league-leading eighth overtime game last night against Edmonton.
- This weekend marks just the second time this year in which Utah is playing on back-to-back days.
- Last night was Utah’s first-ever Hockey Fights Cancer night at Delta Center.
- Vegas is the first team that Utah will face three times.
- Four of Utah’s last five games have been decided by one goal.
TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
The Vegas Golden Knights enter tonight off a 4-3 comeback win against the Winnipeg Jets last night at T-Mobile Arena and have won four of their last five games. Vegas leads the Pacific Division with 33 points and scores the fifth-most goals per game in the NHL at 3.75. The power play has been hot all year for the Golden Knights, currently ranking third in the league at 29.3%. Jack Eichel paces the team with 38 points (8G, 28A) and is tied for second in the league in scoring.
WHO TO WATCH
UTAH: #92 LOGAN COOLEY - After a goal last night against Edmonton, Logan Cooley now has points in four straight games (2G, 4A). The 20-year-old is up to 18 points (5G, 13A) on the season and ranks third on the team in scoring. He has found the back of the net in each of Utah’s previous two games against Vegas.
VEGAS: #21 BRETT HOWDEN - Howden picked up two goals last night against the Jets and now has set a new career high with 10 on the season. The forward is in his fourth season with the Golden Knights and had five goals in 22 Stanley Cup Playoff games during Vegas’ Stanley Cup run in 2022. Howden scored the overtime-winner against Utah on Nov. 2.
LOOK BACK
Utah rallied to force overtime against Edmonton last night at Delta Center. After the home team jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Alex Kerfoot and Logan Cooley, the Oilers ripped off three straight tallies in the span of 6:38 in the second period, including two on the power play. Early in period three, Lawson Crouse picked up his fourth goal of the season to tie the game at 3-3 before Ryan Nugent-Hopkins won the game for the Oilers in overtime.
LAST MEETING
Utah and Vegas have already met twice this season, most recently on Nov. 15 at Delta Center. Logan Cooley and Mikhail Sergachev each scored for Utah to give the team a 2-0 lead in the second period, but the Golden Knights’ power play came to life, and Tomas Hertl scored twice on the man-advantage to tie the game at 2-2. In the third, Vegas’ William Karlsson picked up two goals himself, including a deflection for the game-winner with 1:18 remaining in regulation and the empty-netter to seal the game. The game marked the second time this season that Vegas came back from down 2-0 to beat Utah.
STAUBER CALLED UP FROM AHL TUCSON
Utah announced on Nov. 20 that goaltender Jaxson Stauber had been recalled from the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners after Connor Ingram sustained an injury and is considered day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This year with Tucson, Stauber is 5-2-0 with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. The Wayzata, Minnesota native has seen NHL action previously with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023 and went 5-1-0 with a 2.81 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. If Stauber appears in action tonight, it will be his first NHL appearance of the season.
LOOK AHEAD
Utah returns home to play its third game in four days with a matchup against the Dallas Stars at Delta Center on Monday, Dec. 2. The meeting will be the first of four this season between the two Central Division foes.
