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.