Golden Knights Gameday 71: Vulnerable Vancouver: Lines, Ratings, vs. Canucks
Since their last miniseries against the Seattle Kraken, the Vegas Golden Knights (38-28-4, 80 points) have traveled Interstate 5 to British Columbia as they take on the Vancouver Canucks (32- 28-9, 73 points) three times in nine days.
the Canucks are in desperation mode to make the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs and essentially need to win every game against the Golden Knights to even have a chance to make it to the dance. The Golden Knights once again find themselves out of the playoffs as the Dallas Stars won again on Saturday night.
I used yesterday to do a full analysis of the Western Conference playoff picture and what the Golden Knights need to do/rely on other teams to make their fifth consecutive appearance. in the playoffs.
In summary, they lead the league in games played, which means they need to win as many games as possible in the stretch race, especially against teams that are on the hunt with them like the Canucks.
In terms of roster changes, none are planned for the Golden Knights. Pavel Doroefeyev is set to play his third game with an NHL caregiver and Logan Thompson will get the start, assuming Peter DeBoer rides the hot goaltender.
The keys to the game
Get to know this team
Similar to the miniseries we just saw against the Seattle Kraken, the Golden Knights will face the Canucks a lot over the next nine days. However, unlike the Kraken, the Golden Knights and Canucks had four years of history prior to this point. Nevertheless, getting to know this team, their way of playing and their tendencies will be key to ensuring victory over them.
complete them
The Canucks are in a position, with 73 points, where they could technically make the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Golden Knights are one of the teams the Canucks are chasing. If the VGK can sweep the remaining three games against the Canucks, it would destroy their chances of making the playoffs. An additional motivation for the Golden Knights for sure.
Ride the hot keeper
Finally, don’t be surprised when Peter DeBoer calls on Logan Thompson to make his tenth straight start on Sunday. He has been VGK’s best goalkeeper in recent games with Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit on the mend. He has won four consecutive games, including his first NHL career shutout, and he currently has a .921% save percentage.
It is highly unlikely that Thompson has returned to the starting role for the Golden Knights. But his recent emergence has allowed VGK to be competitive in games and stay in the hunt for the playoffs. LT’s play gave starting goaltender Robin Lehner more time to recover from his injury and facilitate his return to the lineup. What this means for Laurent Brossoit is another thing.
Vegas Golden Knights Line Projected Combinations
Evgenii Dadonov – Jack Eichel – Chandler Stephenson
Jonathan Marchessault – William Karlsson – Michael Amadio
Mattias Janmark-Nicolas Roy-Jonas Rondbjerg
Pavel Dorofeyev – Jake Leschyshyn – Dylan Coghlan*
Ben Hutton – Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Alec Martinez – Zach Whitecloud
Logan Thompson / Robin Lehner
Vegas Golden Knights Special Teams
18.68% Powerplay (24th) and 78.92% Penalty Kill (17th)
PP1: Dadonov, Stephenson, Marchessault, Théodore, Eichel
PP2: Janmark, Karlsson, Roy, Coghlan, Pietrangelo
PK1: Karlsson, Janmark, Hutton, Pietrangelo
PK2: Stephenson, Roy, Martinez, Whitecloud
Casualty Reserve/COVID-19 Protocols/Scratch/Taxi Squad
Mark Stone (back), Max Pacioretty (undisclosed), Reilly Smith (knee), Laurent Brossoit (undisclosed), Nicolas Hague (lower body), Brett Howden (upper body), William Carrier (lower body), Nolan Patrick (undisclosed), Keegan Kolesar (upper body).
Projected Vancouver Canucks line combinations
Tanner Pearson – JT Miller – Conor Garland
Elias Pettersson – Bo Horvat – Brock Boeser
Juho Lammikko – Jason Dickinson – Alex Chiasson
Vasily Podkolzin – Brad Richardson – Will Lockwood
Oliver Ekman-Larsson – Tyler Myers
Quinn Hughes-Luke Schenn
Travis Dermott – Tucker Poolman
Thatcher Demko/Jaroslav Halak
Vancouver Canucks Special Teams
21.53% Powerplay (15th) and 72.40% Penalty Kill (31st)
PP1 – Boeser, Horvat, Miller, Hughes, Pettersson
PP2- Chiasson, Podkolzin, Pearson, Ekman-Larsson, Garland
PK1 – Richardson, Lammikko, Dermott, Myers
PK2 – Richardson, Pettersson, Schenn, Poolman
Casualty Reserve/COVID-19 Protocols/Grooves
Brandon Sutter, Kyle Burroughs, Jason Dickinson, Nils Hoglander, Matthew Highmore
How to watch/listen
4:00 p.m. on At&t Sportsnet, ESPN+ and Fox Sports 98.9 FM Radio.
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