VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOTES:
GOLDEN KNIGHTS UPCOMING GAMES
Golden Knights 2022-23 Record: 17-6-1, 35 points (7-5-0 at Home, 10-1-1 on Road)
DATE OPPONENT TELEVISION RADIO SPANISH RADIO
Dec. 1 at Pittsburgh Penguins AT&T SportsNet Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM None
Dec. 3 at Detroit Red Wings AT&T SportsNet Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM None
Dec. 5 at Boston Bruins AT&T SportsNet Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM None
Dec. 7 vs. New York Rangers TNT Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
Dec. 9 vs. Philadelphia Flyers AT&T SportsNet Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
GOLDEN KNIGHTS LAST GAME RECAP
November 28 – Vegas Golden Knights 3, Columbus Blue Jackets 2 SO
The Vegas Golden Knights (17-6-1) kicked off their road trip with a 3-2 shootout victory against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7-12-2) on Monday night at Nationwide Arena. After a quiet 15 minutes to start the game, William Karlsson and William Carrier scored 56 seconds apart to give the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead. Columbus battled back with goals from Johnny Gaudreau and Boone Jenner to send the game beyond regulation. Overtime passed without a goal and the game required a shootout. In the seventh round, Paul Cotter deked around the goaltender to lift Vegas to the 3-2 victory. Logan Thompson finished with 26 saves and stopped six-of-seven shootout bids from the Blue Jackets.
LAST GAME BY THE NUMBERS
- Karlsson has three points in four games (2-1—3)
- Cotter scores in his first NHL shootout to win it for Vegas
- Logan Thompson earns his firt shootout win (1-3) despite stopping 83.3% of the shootout attempts he has faced (20-of-24)
- Vegas improves to 17-6-1 overall and 10-1-1 on the road
Cotter the Kid
Paul Cotter participated in his first NHL shootout on Monday night and it was his tally that gave Vegas the two points. The rookie’s breakaway talent has been useful in the Golden Knights’ success a couple times already this season. In his first game since Oct. 18, Cotter posted his first multi-point game of his career on Nov. 10 in Buffalo. The rookie assisted on a goal and then scored one of his own on a breakaway in the second period. Appearing in 14 games this season, Cotter now has two goals and an assist, including the game-winning goal that secured the Golden Knights’ first home win of the season on Oct.13, also on a breakaway.
Carrier-ing the 4th
William Carrier has scored eight goals in 23 games for Vegas, just one goal shy of his season career high. The forward had his first multi-goal game of his career on November 21 in Vancouver and followed it up with another goal on November 23. He now has five goals in the last seven games.
Stingy Knights
Logan Thompson secured his first career shootout win in Columbus on Monday. This was the third time Thompson has defended Vegas in a shootout, and has stopped 83.3% of shootout attempts faced in his career (20-of-24); only Boston’s Linus Ullmark has a better shootout save percentage among active NHL goaltenders who have faced at least 20 attempts in their career. The Golden Knights’ goaltender tandem of Thompson and Adin Hill is one of the best in the NHL, as Vegas is seventh in team defense, allowing just 2.60 goals per game. Thompson is second in the league in wins (12) behind Ullmark (13). Thompson and Hill’s combined save percentage of .913 is sixth in the league. Last season, the Golden Knights ranked 15th in the league in team defense (2.98 goals allowed per game).
Road Trip Warriors
The VGK road record stands at 10-1-1, the best in the NHL. 21 of Vegas’ 35 points have come on the road, including the 10 straight points the Golden Knights brought home after a 5-0-0 trip in November. This is the Golden Knights best road start in franchise history, crushing their previous recorded of 8-4-0 in the 2020-21 shortened season.
Martinez Block Party
Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez leads the NHL with 102 blocked shots in 24 games and is the first player in the league to reach the century mark this season. Martinez has led the team in blocked shots in 17 of 24 games. After snapping his 114-game streak with at least one blocked shot on Nov. 23, Martinez recorded 7 blocked shots in the first period last Friday against Seattle. Martinez also recently recorded a season high of nine blocked shots against the San Jose Sharks on November 15, matching his career high and the franchise record, which he shares with Deryk Engelland.
First Things First
William Karlsson’s first-period goal against Columbus marked the 15th time Vegas has scored first in a game. The Golden Knights have scored seven times in the first five minutes of the first period through 24 games, most recently when Nicolas Roy scored in Toronto 23 seconds into the opening period. The Golden Knights are outscoring opponents 28-14 in the first period and lead the NHL in first-period goals. Vegas is 13-2-0 when it scores first and 8-2-0 when leading after the first period.
O from the D
Vegas defensemen have accounted for an NHL-leading 52 assists and 60 points total, which trail only San Jose. Both Alex Pietrangelo (T-6th, 21 points) and Shea Theodore (12th, 17 points) are among the top 15 defensemen in scoring league-wide.
The Shorty King
Reilly Smith netted his third shorthanded goal of the season against St. Louis on November 12. Smith leads the league with his three shorties and Vegas is tied for first as the team with four short handed goals. His 11 shorthanded goals since joining Vegas in 2017-18 are the most in franchise history.
Hey Shea!
Shea Theodore has recorded five points over the course of Vegas’ last six games (0-5—5) and ranks 12th amongst defensemen in the league in points so far this season (17). Theodore has had four multi-point games, second to Pietrangelo (six) for the most multi-point games by a Golden Knights defenseman this season.
Jack of all Trades
Jack Eichel has points in 12 of the last 16 games for Vegas (8G-11A), including five multiple-point efforts. His 26 points are tied for seventh in the league and his +15 rating is tops among all NHL forwards (sixth overall).
Aye-Aye Captain!
Captain Mark Stone matched his career-best goal streak with tallies in four straight games Nov. 17-23 (5G-1A). Stone’s nine goals on the year are two off Jack Eichel’s team lead and he is fourth on the team in scoring with 18 points.
Easy Steph-y
Chandler Stephenson has 19 points in Vegas’ 24 games, to go with three game-winning goals. Stephenson’s 63.5 faceoff win percentage ranks second in the NHL among all qualified skaters. Stephenson has recorded a point in five straight games twice this season including seven assists during his most recent point streak.
Spreading the Wealth
Ten Golden Knights have recorded 10 or more points this season, tied with four other teams for the most of any team in the league. Jack Eichel leads the club with 26 points, followed by Alex Pietrangleo with 21 points and Chandler Stephenson with 19 points.
Golden Knights Point Leaders
- Jack Eichel – 26 (11G, 15A)
- Alex Pietrangelo – 21 (3G, 18A)
- Chandler Stephenson – 19 (6G, 13A)
- Mark Stone – 18 (9G, 9A)
Jonathan Marchessault – 17 (8G, 9A) - Shea Theodore – 17 (3G, 14A)
Against the Penguins
Vegas’ contest with Pittsburgh is the first of two meetings this season. The Golden Knights own a 3-5-0 record against the Penguins, and were swept 0-2-0 in their series in 2021-22. Vegas has only won once at PPG Paints Arena, on Oct. 10, 2019, in four trips. In their last meeting, the Golden Knights fell to the Penguins in Pittsburgh, 5-2, seeing scoring from Jack Eichel and Alex Pietrangelo. Mark Stone owns 19 points (10-9—19) in 15 meetings against the Penguins in his career.
2022-23 Season PIT Series: 0-0-0 (Home: 0-0-0, Road: 0-0-0)
Dec. 1 – at Pittsburgh
Jan. 5 – at Vegas
2021-22 Season PIT Series: 0-2-0 (Home: 0-1-0, Road: 0-1-0)
Jan. 17 – at Vegas (Vegas 3, Pittsburgh 5)
Mar. 11 – at Pittsburgh (Vegas 2, Pittsburgh 5)
PITTSBURGH PEGNUINS NOTES:
LAST 2 GAMES
Nov. 29: Carolina 3, Pittsburgh 2 (OT) – PPG Paints Arena
PIT Goals: Crosby, Guentzel
Multiple Points: Crosby (1G-1A), Guentzel (1G-1A)
Goalie: Jarry (36 saves/39 shots)
Key Stats: Jake Guentzel scored the game-tying goal with under a minute left as Pittsburgh was able to salvage a point in overtime.
PP: 0-2
PK: 2-2
Nov. 26: Toronto 4, Pittsburgh 1 – PPG Paints Arena
PIT Goals: Rakell
Multiple Points: None
Goalie: DeSmith (37 saves/41 shots)
Key Stats: Pittsburgh’s win streak was snapped at five games as Pittsburgh fell at home.
PP: 0-2
PK: 3-3
INJURIES
Position Player Status Consecutive Games Missed Total Games Missed
D Kris Letang Stroke 1 2
2022-23 Total Regular-Season Man-Games Lost: 31
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
Date Transaction
Nov. 15 F Teddy Blueger activated off of LTIR. F Filip Hallander re-assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Nov. 13 D Mark Friedman re-assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Nov. 11 D Mark Friedman recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). F Sam Poulin re-assigned to WBS.
Nov. 7 F Filip Hallander recalled from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL).
Nov. 6 F Drew O’Connor re-assigned to WBS (AHL).
Pittsburgh’s All-Time Record vs. Vegas: 5-3-0
In Pittsburgh: 3-1-0
In Vegas: 2-2-0
OT Record vs. Golden Knights: 0-0-0
Shootout Record vs. Golden Knights: 0-0
2021-22 Results: Pittsburgh went 2-0-0.
Penguins All-Time Point Leaders vs. VEGAS:
Evgeni Malkin: 7 GP, 8 PTS (2G-6A)
Sidney Crosby: 7 GP, 6 PTS (2G-4A)
Jake Guentzel: 7 GP, 6 PTS (3G-3A)
Phil Kessel: 4GP, 6 PTS (5G-1A)
TONIGHT’S GAME
-The Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Vegas Golden Knights for their first of two meetings this year and only the ninth meeting all-time. The Penguins will host the first game tonight at PPG Paints Arena at 7:00 PM ET (TV: AT&T SportsNet; Radio: 105.9 The X).
-The Penguins are 3-1-0 at home against the Golden Knights and 5-3-0 alltime.
-Last season the Penguins were 2-0-0 against the Vegas Golden Knights, outscoring them 10-5 and converting at 33.3% (2/6) on the power play.
-Jeff Carter led the Penguins with four points (1G-3A) against the Golden Knights last season in two games played.
QUICK HITS
1) Pittsburgh has points in nine of its last 11 games overall (7-2-2). Since this 11-game stretch began on Nov. 9, only the New Jersey Devils (18) and Toronto Maple Leafs (18) have picked up more points than Pittsburgh (16).
2) Jeff Carter has 13 points (8G-5A) in 18 career games against Vegas. Only six players in NHL history have more goals versus the Golden Knights than Carter’s eight – Anze Kopitar (11), Ryan O’Reilly (11), Kyle Connor (10), Bo Horvat (10), Matthew Tkachuk (9) and Nick Bonino (9).
3) When Marcus Pettersson has recorded a point this season the Penguins are 8-0-2. He has recorded an assist in 10 different contests this year.
4) Sidney Crosby, Brock McGinn and Jake Guentzel are all tied for fifth in the NHL with three game-winning goals this season.
5) In four career starts versus Vegas, Tristan Jarry is 3-1-0 with a 2.27 goalsagainst average and a .927 save percentage.
TEAM NOTES
PENALTY KILLIN’ IT
Pittsburgh’s penalty killing unit was perfect for the eighth-straight game, going 2-for-2 on Tuesday night against Carolina, and has now killed off 19-straight penalties in that eight-game stretch, and 23 of its last 24 penalties over the last nine games. Below is a look at Pittsburgh’s penalty kill by month, which finished first in the NHL in November:
Month PK PK% Rank
October 22/31 71.0% 28th
November 37/41 90.2% 1st
Total: 59/72 81.9% 8th
Since Teddy Blueger returned to the lineup from injury, the Penguins have not allowed an opposing power-play goal.
EVEN-STRENGTH EXPERT
Sidney Crosby leads Pittsburgh and is seventh in the NHL with 31 points (12G-19A) in 23 games this season. Of his 31 points, 26 of them (11G-15A) have come at even strength which is most in the NHL:
Player EVP
Sidney Crosby 26
Erik Karlsson 24
Jason Robertson 24
Connor McDavid 22
Matthew Tkachuk 20
Since Nov. 5, Crosby is second in points in the NHL:
Player GP G A PTS
Jason Robertson 12 12 9 21
Sidney Crosby 12 7 12 19
Nikita Kucherov 11 5 14 19
Jamie Benn 12 9 9 18
Mitch Marner 14 6 12 18
MULTI-POINT MANIA
Sidney Crosby registered a goal and an assist on Tuesday night, giving him multiple points in four of his last seven games (5G-9A). Crosby has recorded multiple points in over one third of his games played this season (8/23), and his 429 multi-point efforts are the most among all active players, and 11th most in NHL history:
Multi-Point Game Leaders (Active Players)
Player GP MPG % of GP w/Multiple Points
Sidney Crosby 1,131 429 37.9%
Alex Ovechkin 1,298 403 31.0%
Patrick Kane 1,129 318 28.2%
Evgeni Malkin 1,004 313 31.2%
Steven Stamkos 944 273 28.9%
Crosby has more games where he has recorded multiple points (429) than he has games with zero points (329).
PENGUINS COACH’S CHALLENGES
2022-23 Record: 3-for-4, 75.0%
All-Time (Since 2015-16): 29-for-52, 55.8%
Last Challenge: (L) Nov. 12, 2022 – Call upheld; Video review confirmed no goaltender interference infractions occurred prior to Cole Caufield’s goal in Montreal.
Type of Challenge: Play Stoppage: 1-for-1, 100.0% Interference: 12-for-28, 42.9% Offsides: 16-for-23, 70.0%
Sidney Crosby
81 GWG
Evgeni Malkin
78 GWG
Jaromir Jagr
78 GWG
Mario Lemieux
74 GWG
Jean Pronovost
42 GWG
PENGUINS’ ALL-TIME GAME-WINNING GOAL LEADERS
JOSEPH’S CAREER YEAR
Defenseman P.O Joseph picked up an assist on Sidney Crosby’s goal on Tuesday against Carolina, helping him establish a new career-high assist/point total of six in a career-best 19 games. He also has set career highs this season in hits (24) and blocked shots (8), all while averaging 14:49 of time-on-ice per game. Joseph has been plus or even in 16 of his 19 games this season, and his plus-7 is fourth-best on the team and second among team defensemen behind Jan Ruuta (+8).
QUICK STRIKE
Pittsburgh struck first on Tuesday against Carolina thanks to a goal from Sidney Crosby. It marked the sixth time in the last seven games and 14th time in 23 games that the Penguins scored the first goal of the game. Their 14 games scoring first are tied for fifth in the NHL:
Team Times Scoring 1st Goal
Dallas 16
Vegas 15
New Jersey 15
Florida 15
Pittsburgh 14
Pittsburgh is 8-3-3 in games when they score first. Crosby (5) is tied with John Tavares (5) for the most game-opening goals in the NHL.
CARTER 400
Jeff Carter enters tonight’s game three assists from 400 in his career and is set to become the sixth player from the 2003 draft class to collect 400 goals and 400 assists along with Eric Staal (441G-593A), Patrice Bergeron (409G-592A), Joe Pavelski (431G-517A), Corey Perry (408G-456A) and Zach Parise (415G-441A). He would also become the 100th player in NHL history to accomplish this feat. Carter has points in four of seven home games this season (2G-3A), and has points in eight of his last 11 home games (3G-6A) dating back to Apr. 14 of last season.
RAK CITY
Rickard Rakell has put together a solid start to the season, registering 14 points (9G-5A) and a team-high plus-12 in 23 games this season. His nine goals are third on Pittsburgh, and his 14 points are fifth most. He is one goal shy of reaching the 10-goal plateau for the seventh time in his career. Rakell, who was selected 30th overall by Anaheim in the 2011 NHL draft, currently sits one assist shy of 200 in his career. He’s looking to become the 15th member of his draft class to accumulate 200 or more assists, and his 366 career points (167G-199A) are also 15th among players drafted in 2011.
BRICK WALL
Tristan Jarry stopped 36 of 39 shots (.923 SV%) on Tuesday night, helping Pittsburgh pick up a point. Jarry has been one of the hottest goalies in the NHL since Nov. 17:
Stats Since Nov. 17 (min. 3GP)
Stat NHL Rank
Wins (4) T-2nd
GAA (1.76) 2nd
SV% (.943) T-1st
SO (1) T-1st
Assists (1) T-1st
Jarry enters tonight’s game having stopped 130 of his last 135 shots (.963 SV%) over his last four starts.
TOP-LINE TRIO
The Penguins have found success with the top line of Rickard Rakell, Sidney Crosby and Jake Guentzel, going 8-1-2 in the games that they’ve played together this season (Oct. 13-20, Nov. 17-Present). Below is a look at their production in their 11 games together:
Player GP G A PTS
Sidney Crosby 11 7 14 21
Jake Guentzel 11 6 7 13
Rickard Rakell 11 4 2 6
LETANG SUFFERS STROKE
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang is out indefinitely after suffering a stroke on Monday. His not experiencing any lasting effects of the stroke and will continue to undergo a series of tests. His condition is not believed to be career threatening.
In 2014, the defenseman missed over two months due to a stroke. During that time period, testing revealed that he was born with a very small hole in the wall of his heart. Although the small defect in the wall is apparent in all individuals, it typically closes on its own in most people. Since his initial stroke eight years ago, he has played 543 regular-season games and made 69 playoff appearances.
Letang has one goal and 12 points in 21 games this season and leads the team in time on ice, averaging 23:54 minutes. The Montreal, Quebec native has played his entire 17-year career with Pittsburgh, recording 662 points (145G-517A) in 962 regular-season games. He is the team’s all-time leader among defensemen in regular-season and playoff games played, goals, assists and points, and has helped the team to three Stanley Cup Championships (2009, ’16, ’17).
