The Vegas Golden Knights (46-22-8) conclude their 12th back-to-back of the season as they face the Vancouver Canucks (35-28-13) on Sunday at 7 p.m. PT at Rogers Arena.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: ESPN
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340
Pregame Show: Vegas 34, KnightTime+ at 6:30 p.m.
NOTES
The Golden Knights continue Fan Appreciation Week presented by Zoox as the team hosts a watch party at Stadium Swim at Circa Las Vegas. The watch party will include the VGK Cast, giveaways, and player-signed memorabilia. All in attendance must be 21-and-older.
Vegas reached 100 points for the third time in eight seasons with Saturday's win in Calgary. The club is the fourth to reach 100 points this year (Winnipeg, Washington, Dallas).
Vegas and Vancouver will play each other twice in the span of 10 days to conclude the regular season series against one another.
The Golden Knights finish off their 12th back-to-back this season on Sunday. So far, Vegas is 7-4-0 in game two of back-to-back games this season.
Brayden McNabb is second among all defensemen with a +37 and third overall in the league.
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Jack Eichel – One goal away from 100 goals as a Golden Knight
Noah Hanifin – Five games away from 100 games as a Golden Knight
Reilly Smith – Seven points away from 300 points as a Golden Knight
William Karlsson – Nine points away from 400 points as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Nicolas Roy – Three assists away from 100 career assists
Adin Hill – Seven wins away from 100 career wins
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 93 points (27G, 66A)
Mark Stone – 66 points (19G, 47A)
Tomas Hertl – 59 points (31G, 28A)
Shea Theodore – 54 points (7G, 47A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 50 points (33G, 17A)
Ivan Barbashev – 47 points (20G, 27A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Vegas Golden Knights opened up their three-game road trip with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday night at Scotiabank Saddledome. Pavel Dorofeyev scored the opening goal to bring his season total to 33 and reach 50 points (33G,17A). Dorofeyev became the youngest skater in franchise history to reach the 50-point mark. Reilly Smith followed with his first of the night to give Vegas a 2-0 lead. After Calgary tied the game to force overtime, Smith netted his second goal to secure his first multi-goal game with Vegas since Dec. 17, 2022. Shea Theodore assisted on all three goals to bring his season total to 54 (7G, 47A) and to tie the franchise record for most points by a Golden Knights defenseman in a single season. Akira Schmid stopped 21-of-23 shots on goal to earn his first win as a Golden Knight.
SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights have a 2-0-0 record against the Canucks so far this year with both victories coming at T-Mobile Arena. Alex Pietrangelo, William Karlsson, and Brett Howden each notched a goal in Vegas' 3-1 win against Vancouver on Dec. 19. The Golden Knights returned from the 4Nations Face-Off break with another 3-1 victory against the Canucks on Feb. 22 at T-Mobile Arena. Ivan Barbashev opened the scoring with the 1,000th VGK goal in franchise history at T-Mobile Arena while Brandon Saad and Tomas Hertl also scored in the win. Howden notched two points (2A) to surpass his single-season career-high point total of 23 points (16G, 7A), which he achieved in his rookie season. Saad scored just 18 seconds into the third period to mark the fastest start to a period for Vegas this season.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Vancouver Canucks own a 35-28-13 record and 83 points to sit fifth in the Pacific Division. Vancouver finds itself in a tight race for the second wild card sport in the Western Conference with six games to go as the Minnesota Wild (41-29-7, 89 points) sit six points ahead of Vancouver. The Canucks are just two points behind the Calgary Flames (36-27-13, 85 points) on the outside looking in. Vancouver is coming off a 6-2 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Saturday night at Rogers Arena. Quinn Hughes leads the scoring for the Canucks with 72 points (16G, 56A), followed by Brock Boeser with 48 points (25G, 23A). Conor Garland (19G, 26A) and Elias Pettersson (15G, 30A) each hold 45 points as well.
WESTERN CONFERENCE PLAYOFF PICTURE
Pacific Division:
x-Vegas Golden Knights – 46-22-8, 100 points
x-Los Angeles Kings – 44-23-9, 97 points
Edmonton Oilers – 44-27-5, 93 points
Central Division:
x-Winnipeg Jets – 52-21-4, 108 points
x-Dallas Stars – 50-22-4, 104 points
x-Colorado Avalanche – 47-27-4, 98 points
Wild Card:
St. Louis Blues – 43-28-7, 93 points
Minnesota Wild – 41-29-7, 89 points
Calgary Flames – 36-27-13, 85 points
Vancouver Canucks – 35-28-13, 83 points
Utah Hockey Club – 35-30-12, 82 points
Key:
x-clinched playoff spot
y-clinched division
z-clinched Western Conference
p-clinched President's Trophy
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
- Mark the 358th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 17-4-3 all-time record against Vancouver
- Give the Golden Knights a 20-13-5 record on the road this season
KEYS TO THE GAME
Competitive Nature: After Saturday’s win, Head Coach Bruce Cassidy brought up how the team performed better and returned to their style of play. With every game carrying more weight heading into the playoffs, the Golden Knights will need to lean into their competitive edge to keep the push going.
Pedal To The Metal: The Golden Knights were able to capitalize on opportunities throughout Saturday’s win. In the team’s race to claim the Pacific Division title, Reilly Smith emphasized the team’s drive to gain every edge in the playoff race. To keep climbing, the Golden Knights will need to maintain that intensity and momentum.
