The Vegas Golden Knights (41-20-8) close out their final home back-to-back with a matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning (40-24-5) on Sunday at 5 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: Vegas 34
Streaming: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
NOTES
Vegas will play their 10th back-to-back this season, holding a 5-4-1 record in game one and 5-4-0 record in game two.
The Golden Knights are 15-12-4 against Eastern Conference teams this season.
Tomas Hertl recorded his second hat trick in seven games in Saturday’s win over the Detroit Red Wings. Hertl is the second Golden Knight to tally 30 goals this season, following Pavel Dorofeyev, who also scored his 30th goal on a hat trick on Thursday against the Boston Bruins.
Jack Eichel tallied his 600th career point with a four-point (1G, 3A) game in Saturday’s win. With his four points, Eichel recorded a new career high in points with 86.
Mark Stone found a new career high in assists (43) with his two helpers against the Red Wings.
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Jack Eichel – Six goals away from 100 goals as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Keegan Kolesar – One point away from 100 career points
Ilya Samsonov – Two games from 200 career games
Mark Stone – Two assists from 400 career assists
Nicolas Roy – Three assists away from 100 career assists
Tomas Hertl – Five assists from 300 career assists
Mark Stone – Five games away from 700 career games
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 86 points (22G, 64A)
Mark Stone – 61 points (18G, 43A)
Tomas Hertl – 58 points (30G, 28A)
Shea Theodore – 48 points (7G, 41A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 46 points (30G, 16A)
Ivan Barbashev – 45 points (20G, 25A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights defeated the Detroit Red Wings, 6-3, on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. Tomas Hertl recorded his second hat trick of the season and Jack Eichel tallied four points (1G, 3A) in the victory. After going down 1-0, Hertl scored two goals, and Nicolas Roy found the back of the net to give Vegas a 3-1 lead heading into the second period. Patrick Kane scored early in the second frame. Six minutes later, Mark Stone found the back of the net before Hertl scored his hat trick to give Vegas a 5-2 lead. Alex DeBrincat scored, but Eichel notched the empty-net goal to secure the 6-3 victory. Adin Hill earned his 26th win of the season between the pipes.
SEASON SERIES
The Vegas Golden Knights previously faced the Tampa Bay Lightning on Oct. 17, falling 4-3, for only their second loss of the season. Brayden McNabb, Pavel Dorofeyev, and Ivan Barbashev all scored in the loss. Vegas held a 3-2 lead in the third period but late goals from Brandon Hagel and Nikita Kucherov gave the Lightning the win.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Tampa Bay heads to Vegas for their second game of a back-to-back after falling to the Utah Hockey Club, 6-4, on Saturday night at Delta Center. Brayden Point had two goals, and Jake Guentzel recorded a three-point night (1G, 2A) in the loss. The Lightning sit in third in the Atlantic Division with a record of 40-24-5 and 85 points. Nikita Kucherov leads the Lightning with 97 points (29G, 68A), followed by Brandon Hagel with 76 points (32G, 44A), and Point with 68 points (34G, 34A). Andrei Vasilevskiy holds strong in net for Tampa Bay with a .920 save percentage that ranks second in the league and a 2.23 GAA that ranks third in the league.
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights – 41-20-8, 90 points
Edmonton Oilers – 41-24-5, 87 points
Los Angeles Kings – 38-21-9, 85 points
Calgary Flames – 33-25-11, 77 points
Vancouver Canucks – 32-26-12, 76 points
Anaheim Ducks – 30-31-8, 68 points
Seattle Kraken – 30-36-5, 65 points
San Jose Sharks – 19-42-9, 47 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
- Mark the 354th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights an 8-6-0 all-time record against the Lightning
- Give the Golden Knights a 27-7-3 record at home
KEYS TO THE GAMES
Grind It Out: With 13 games remaining in the regular season, Head Coach Bruce Cassidy stated he likes the way the team’s game is trending. Cassidy and players agree that there are always things to work on, so the team strives to perfect the details heading into the postseason.
Rolling Four: Jack Eichel said that the team’s lineup is taking shape heading into the postseason. He stated that the team is at their best when everyone is in the lineup with four strong lines with depth scoring. Having a depth in the lineup will be crucial the Golden Knights in closing out the regular season.
