The Vegas Golden Knights (38-19-6) begin a four-game road trip as they battle the Pittsburgh Penguins (25-31-10) on Tuesday at 4 p.m. PT at PPG Paints Arena.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Vegas 34
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340
NOTES
Tomas Hertl recorded his first hat trick as a Golden Knight in Sunday’s loss to the Kings. Hertl’s second goal logged his 12th power-play goal of the season, marking a new franchise record for power-play goals in a single season and new career high.
Reilly Smith played in his 900th career game on Sunday and tallied his first point since returning to the Golden Knights.
Brayden McNabb sits at the top of the league with +35 rating and marks a career high +/- rating.
Jack Eichel is one point shy of matching the most points scored by a Golden Knight in a single season, currently held by William Karlsson (78 points, 2017-28).
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Brayden McNabb – One assist away from 100 assists as a Golden Knight
Jack Eichel – Eight goals away from 100 goals as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Nicolas Roy – Four assists away from 100 career assists
Ilya Samsonov – Four games from 200 career games
Mark Stone – Six assists from 400 career assists
Tomas Hertl – Seven assists from 300 career assists
Jack Eichel – Nine points from 600 career points
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 77 points (20G, 57A)
Mark Stone – 56 points (17G, 39A)
Tomas Hertl – 52 points (27G, 25A)
Shea Theodore – 48 points (7G, 41A)
Ivan Barbashev – 41 points (19G, 22A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 39 points (24G, 15A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights fell to the Los Angeles Kings, 6-5, on Sunday evening at T-Mobile Arena. Tomas Hertl scored his first hat trick since Dec. 5, 2023, and first hat trick as a Golden Knight. Vegas fell behind by three goals before Nicolas Roy scored the first goal for Vegas, followed by Hertl’s first goal of the night. Los Angeles tacked on two more goals to make the score 5-2. Hertl scored twice in the third, and Brandon Saad recorded his fourth goal with Vegas, however Los Angeles took the divisional battle to close out the season series.
SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights took on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas shut out the Penguins, 4-0, with Ilya Samsonov earning his second shutout on the season. Tanner Pearson, Ivan Barbashev, Brandon Saad, and Mark Stone all recorded goals for the Golden Knights. Stone tallied a three-point (1G, 2A) night, and Pearson tallied a two-point (1G, 1A) night.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
After losing four straight since March 1, including the shutout against Vegas on Friday, Pittsburgh picked up their first win of the month in a 3-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday. Evgeni Malkin scored first, and Sidney Crosby scored the last two goals for the Penguins in the win. The Penguins remain in last place in the Metropolitan Division with a record of 25-31-10 and 60 points. Crosby leads Pittsburgh with 68 points (21G, 47A), followed by Rickard Rakell with 54 points (29G, 25A), and Bryan Rust with 47 points (21G, 26A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights – 38-19-6, 82 points
Edmonton Oilers – 37-23-4, 78 points
Los Angeles Kings – 33-20-9, 75 points
Calgary Flames – 30-23-10, 70 points
Vancouver Canucks – 29-23-11, 69 points
Anaheim Ducks – 28-28-7, 63 points
Seattle Kraken – 27-34-4, 58 points
San Jose Sharks – 17-39-9, 43 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
- Mark the 351st win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 7-7-0 all-time record against Pittsburgh
- Give the Golden Knights a 15-12-3 record on the road this season
KEYS TO THE GAMES
Start Strong: The Golden Knights have a 22-7-5 record when scoring the game's first goal. Forward Nicolas Roy said after Sunday's loss to the Kings that minimizing turnovers will help Vegas start stronger in the final month of the regular season.
Attention to Detail: Head Coach Bruce Cassidy stated after Sunday’s loss that the team did not have attention to detail with the puck. In order to win games, the team needs to have better puck management, which Cassidy believes the team will be better with on this road trip.
