The Vegas Golden Knights (38-19-7) travel to Columbus to take on the Blue Jackets (31-25-8) for their second game of a four-game road trip on Thursday at 4 p.m. PT at Nationwide Arena.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Vegas 34
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340
NOTES
With an assist on Tuesday, Jack Eichel tied the franchise record for the most points scored by a Golden Knight in a single season with William Karlsson (78 points, 2017-28).
The Golden Knights are second in the league in power-play percentage in March, operating at 41.7%.
Noah Hanifin has six points (3G, 3A) in his last five games.
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 – Three games from 200 career games
Mark Stone – Five assists from 400 career assists
Tomas Hertl – Seven assists from 300 career assists
Jack Eichel – Eight points from 600 career points
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 78 points (20G, 58A)
Mark Stone – 57 points (17G, 40A)
Tomas Hertl – 52 points (27G, 25A)
Shea Theodore – 48 points (7G, 41A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 41 points (25G, 16A)
Ivan Barbashev – 41 points (19G, 22A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights fell, 3-2, in overtime to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night at PPG Paints Arena. Sidney Crosby scored twice in the first half of the game to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead. Pavel Dorofeyev and Noah Hanifin each scored to tie the game, with Hanifin scoring his third goal in five games in the final six seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime. Erik Karlsson ended it less than a minute into overtime to win it for the Penguins and split the season series with the Golden Knights.
SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights faced the Blue Jackets on Jan. 30 at T-Mobile Arena, where the Golden Knights lost 2-1 in overtime. Tomas Hertl scored the first goal of the game, but Adam Fantilli tied it for Columbus and Cole Silinger scored the game-winning goal.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Columbus enters Thursday's matchup in the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference with a record of 31-25-8 and 70 points. The Blue Jackets have five wins in their last eight games, including a victory against Detroit in the Stadium Series at Ohio Stadium. Columbus fell, 5-3, to the New Jersey Devils in their most recent outing on Tuesday night. Defenseman Zach Werenski leads the team in scoring with 69 points (20G, 49A), followed by forwards Kirill Marchenko with 62 points (25G, 37A), and Kent Johnson with 45 points (21G, 24A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights – 38-19-7, 83 points
Edmonton Oilers – 37-23-4, 78 points
Los Angeles Kings – 34-20-9, 77 points
Calgary Flames – 30-23-11, 71 points
Vancouver Canucks – 30-24-11, 71 points
Anaheim Ducks – 28-30-7, 63 points
Seattle Kraken – 28-34-4, 60 points
San Jose Sharks – 17-40-9, 43 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
- Mark the 351st win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 6-6-1 all-time record against Columbus
- Give the Golden Knights a 15-12-4 record on the road this season
KEYS TO THE GAMES
Hot Start: The Golden Knights have lost the last two games due to slow starts and coming out of the first 40 minutes in a deficit. If the Golden Knights want to come out on top in the remaining games of the road trip, they have to get the first few notches on the score sheet and keep the momentum going throughout the entire game.
Back to the Game: Nicolas Hague mentioned that after being home for so long, testing the team’s game on the road could be a good thing. Although the Golden Knights lost in overtime to Pittsburgh, the team was resilient and had a strong comeback effort, and the resiliency Vegas showed can assist them throughout the remainder of the long road trip.
