The Vegas Golden Knights (39-19-7) face off against the Buffalo Sabres (25-33-6) on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. PT at KeyBank Center.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Vegas 34
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340
NOTES
On Friday, Adin Hill signed a six-year contract extension with the team, keeping him under contract through the 2030-31 season. This season, Hill has achieved a career-high 39 games played, posting a record of 24-11-4 and a save percentage of .906.
The Vegas Golden Knights kick off their ninth back-to-back so far this season. So far, the club holds a 4-4-0 record in game one and 5-3-0 in game two.
Jack Eichel broke the franchise record for points in a single season when he tallied an assist in Thursday's victory in Columbus. Eichel has 79 points (20G, 59A) this season to break William Karlsson's mark of 78 points (43G, 35A) in 2017-18. The center brings a seven-game point streak in Saturday's game in Buffalo.
Pavel Dorofeyev has scored goals in both games of the road trip so far to lead the team in most road goals (16G) this season. Dorofeyev has scored in consecutive games for the fifth time this season.
Vegas owns a franchise-best power-play percentage of 29%. The Golden Knights also rank second in the NHL behind the Winnipeg Jets (31.5%).
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Jack Eichel – Eight goals away from 100 goals as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Keegan Kolesar – One point away from 100 career points
Nicolas Roy – Three assists away from 100 career assists
Ilya Samsonov – Three games from 200 career games
Mark Stone – Five assists from 400 career assists
Tomas Hertl – Six assists from 300 career assists
Jack Eichel – Seven points from 600 career points
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 79 points (20G, 59A)
Mark Stone – 57 points (17G, 40A)
Tomas Hertl – 54 points (27G, 27A)
Shea Theodore – 48 points (7G, 41A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 42 points (26G, 16A)
Ivan Barbashev – 41 points (19G, 22A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Vegas Golden Knights shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-0, on Thursday night at Nationwide Arena to collect their first win of their four-game road trip. Vegas had four different goal scorers in the victory. Nicolas Roy opened the scoring with his first power-play goal of the season. Jack Eichel assisted on the goal to notch his 59th assist this season. Brandon Saad, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Alex Pietrangelo also scored to help lift Vegas to a 4-0 victory over Columbus. Brayden McNabb assisted on Pietrangelo’s empty-netter to earn his 100th assist as a Golden Knight. Adin Hill stopped all 27 shots on goal to pick up his fourth shutout of the season.
SEASON SERIES
Vegas won the first and only meeting against Buffalo this season, 3-1, on Jan. 4th at T-Mobile Arena. In the first period, Tanner Laczynski tallied his first goal as a Golden Knight to give Vegas the initial lead. Mark Stone extended Vegas’ advantage with his 10th goal of the season. The goal marked his 600th career NHL point to become the eighth-fastest active Canadian player to reach 600 points (665 GP). Eichel (1G, 1A) tallied the last goal of the night before Jason Zucker got Buffalo within two with a goal of his own. Hill stopped 23-of-24 shots to seal the four-game homestand with a win.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Buffalo Sabres sit in last place of the Atlantic Division with a record of 25-33-6 and 56 points. The team has gone 1-5-1 so far in March. Buffalo's only win this month was against the Edmonton Oilers with a 3-2 victory at KeyBank Center last Monday. Saturday's game marks the last home game for the Sabres before they head on a four-game road trip. Buffalo fell, 7-3, in its last outing against the Detroit Red Wings on Wednesday night at Little Caesars Arena. Tage Thompson leads the team in scoring with 58 points (34G, 24A), followed closely by JJ Peterka (19G, 32A) and Rasmus Dahlin (11G, 40A), each with 51 points.
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights – 39-19-7, 85 points
Edmonton Oilers – 38-24-4, 80 points
Los Angeles Kings – 35-20-9, 79 points
Calgary Flames – 30-23-11, 71 points
Vancouver Canucks – 30-24-11, 71 points
Anaheim Ducks – 29-30-7, 65 points
Seattle Kraken – 29-34-4, 62 points
San Jose Sharks – 18-40-9, 45 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
- Mark the 352nd win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 8-6-0 all-time record against Buffalo
- Give the Golden Knights a 16-12-4 record on the road this season
KEYS TO THE GAMES
Remain Confident: The Golden Knights have a 4-1-1 record in March as they continue their pursuit of the Pacific Division title. With only 17 games left in the regular season, Vegas wil look to continue its winning ways to close the road trip.
Stay Calm: Eichel said on Friday that the team relies on its ability to stay calm under pressure to find wins. Staying focused on the task at hand will help the Golden Knights against a Buffalo team that's looking for any wins it can get.
