Morning Skate Report: Oct. 13, 2024
Vegas closes season-opening homestand with matchup against Ducks
The Vegas Golden Knights (2-0-0) aim for their third consecutive win to start the season as they host the Anaheim Ducks (1-0-0) on Sunday 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
Vegas is off to a 2-0-0 start to a new season for the sixth time in franchise history. The Golden Knights posted a season-opening seven-game win streak in 2023-24 to set the mark for the best start to a season for the organization.
Jack Eichel (1G, 5A) and Ivan Barbashev (3G, 3A) are the fifth set of teammates in the last 25 years to each record at least six points through their team’s first two games of a season.
Shea Theodore will play in his 500th NHL game on Sunday against the Ducks. Theodore played his first NHL game as a member of the Ducks on Dec. 29, 2015.
FAN INFORMATION
The Golden Knights will wear their steel gray uniforms for Sunday’s game against Anaheim. All fans are encouraged to arrive early to avoid traffic as the Las Vegas Raiders host the Pittsburgh Steelers at 1:05 p.m. at Allegiant Stadium.
VGK MILESTONE WATCH
Bruce Cassidy – Two wins away from 100 wins with the Golden Knights
Nicolas Roy – Seven games away from 300 games as a Golden Knight
CAREER MILESTONE WATCH
Shea Theodore – One games away from 500 career games
Nicolas Hague – Two games away from 300 career games (all with VGK)
Victor Olofsson – Eight goals away from 100 career goals
VGK SCORING LEADERS
Ivan Barbashev – 6 points (3G, 3A)
Jack Eichel – 6 points (1G, 5A)
Mark Stone – 5 points (2G, 3A)
Shea Theodore – 5 points (1G, 4A)
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Knights picked up their second win of the season with a 4-3 victory against the St. Louis Blues on Friday night at T-Mobile Arena. Nicolas Roy tipped a shot from Shea Theodore into the net for the game-winning goal as the Amos, Quebec native skated in his 300th NHL game. Theodore (1G, 1A), Ivan Barbashev (1G, 1A), Jack Eichel (1G, 1A) and Mark Stone (2A) each had multi-point performances while Adin Hill made 19 saves for his second win of the year.
2023-24 SEASON SERIES
The Golden Knights had a 1-3-0 record against the Ducks during the 2023-24 season. Vegas earned a 4-1 win in their first meeting on Oct. 14 at T-Mobile Arena. Anaheim picked up a 4-2 win on Nov. 5 and a 5-2 win on Dec. 27 in the two matchups at Honda Center last season. The Ducks defeated the Golden Knights, 4-1, in the final game of the regular season on April 18 at T-Mobile Arena. Eichel led the Golden Knights with five points (3G, 2A) in the season series while Theodore led the Vegas blueline with four points (1G, 3A) in the head-to-head matchups.
OPPOSITION UPDATE
Anaheim opened its season with a 2-0 win against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday night at SAP Center. The Ducks finished the 2023-24 campaign in seventh place in the Pacific Division with a 27-50-9 record and 59 points. Anaheim missed the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season. Frank Vatrano was the team’s top scorer with 60 points (37G, 23A) with Troy Terry behind him at 54 points (20G, 34A).
PACIFIC DIVISION STANDINGS
Vegas Golden Knights – 2-0-0, 4 points
Calgary Flames – 2-0-0, 4 points
Los Angeles Kings – 1-0-1, 3 points
Anaheim Ducks – 1-0-0, 2 points
Seattle Kraken – 1-1-0, 2 points
Vancouver Canucks – 0-0-2, 2 point
San Jose Sharks – 0-1-1, 1 point
Edmonton Oilers – 0-2-0, 0 points
A VEGAS VICTORY WOULD…
-Mark the 315th win in franchise history
-Give the Golden Knights a 24-7-1 all-time record against Anaheim
-Be the fifth time the team has started a season with three consecutive wins
KEYS TO THE GAME
Keep Building: The Golden Knights have started each of Bruce Cassidy’s two full seasons behind the bench with a three-game win streak. Vegas will have to rise to the occasion on Sunday to continue that streak.
Top Line Magic: The trio of Barbashev, Eichel and Stone has combined for 17 points (6G, 11A) in just two games to start the season. Vegas will continue to look to its top line for offense on Sunday.