The Vegas Golden Knights (34-18-6) begin a five-game homestand with a tilt against the Chicago Blackhawks (17-34-7) on Thursday at 7 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
All fans in attendance will receive a Chance Bobblehead courtesy of Ghost Energy.
Tomas Hertl has a faceoff win percentage of 65.5% in his two games, winning 19/29 faceoffs taken.
The Golden Knights hold a 7-2-1 record all-time against the Blackhawks at T-Mobile Arena.
Alex Pietrangelo has blocked 10 shots in the last two games and 110 in the 2024-25 season.
Tanner Pearson is set to play in his 700th career game.
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Brayden McNabb – Three assists away from 100 assists as a Golden Knight
Adin Hill – Three games away from 100 games as a Golden Knight
Ivan Barbashev – Four points away from 100 points as a Golden Knight
Jack Eichel – Nine goals away from 100 goals as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Tanner Pearson – One game away from 700 career games
Brayden McNabb – Two games away from 800 career games
Zach Whitecloud – Two games away from 300 career games
Nicolas Roy – Five assists away from 100 career assists
Jack Eichel – Four games away from 600 career games
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Jack Eichel – 69 points (19G, 50A)
Mark Stone – 50 points (15G, 35A)
Shea Theodore – 48 points (7G, 41A)
Tomas Hertl – 44 points (22G, 22A)
Pavel Dorofeyev – 36 points (23G, 13A)
Ivan Barbashev – 35 points (16G, 19A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights lost to the Los Angeles Kings, 5-2, on Monday at Crypto.com Arena. The Kings took the lead in the first, but goals from Brayden McNabb and Mark Stone gave the Golden Knights the lead late in the second period. However, a four-goal period from Los Angeles overtook Vegas for the 5-2 win.
SEASON SERIES
Chicago won the only matchup against Vegas so far this year with a 5-3 victory on Jan. 18 at United Center. Victor Olofsson started the scoring off for Vegas in the first period, but Chicago retaliated with three unanswered goals to finish out the first. The Golden Knights rallied for the comeback, with Tomas Hertl scoring twice to tie the game, but the comeback fell short, giving Chicago space to score two and win the game, 5-3.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
The Blackhawks kicked off their three-game road trip with a 2-1 loss against the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday night in Salt Lake City. Chicago sits at the bottom of the Central Division and 15th in the Western Conference, six points behind the Nashville Predators. Connor Bedard leads the charge for the Blackhawks with 49 points (16G, 33A), followed by Teuvo Teravainen with 41 points (13G, 28A), and Ryan Donato with 38 points (19G, 19A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights – 34-18-6, 74 points
Edmonton Oilers – 34-20-4, 72 points
Los Angeles Kings – 31-17-8, 70 points
Vancouver Canucks – 27-20-11, 65 points
Calgary Flames – 28-21-8, 64 points
Anaheim Ducks – 25-25-7, 57 points
Seattle Kraken – 25-31-4, 54 points
San Jose Sharks – 15-36-8, 38 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD...
- Mark the 347th win in franchise history
- Give the Golden Knights a 13-3-3 all-time record against the Blackhawks
- Give the Golden Knights a 20-6-3 record at home
KEYS TO THE GAMES
Race to the End: With just 24 games remaining in the regular season, the Golden Knights have their sights set on finishing atop the Pacific Division. With Edmonton and Los Angeles just a few points behind, Vegas knows every game is important.
Reliability: As the Golden Knights continue to build their game late in the season, head coach Bruce Cassidy mentioned the importance of players being predictable and reliable to help the team win on a nightly basis.
