VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS NOTES:
GOLDEN KNIGHTS UPCOMING GAMES
Golden Knights 2022-23 Record: 18-7-1, 37 points (7-5-0 at Home, 11-2-1 on Road)
DATE OPPONENT TELEVISION RADIO SPANISH RADIO
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
Dec. 11 vs. Boston Bruins AT&T SportsNet Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM
Dec. 13 at Winnipeg Jets AT&T SportsNet Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM None
GOLDEN KNIGHTS LAST GAME RECAP
December 3 – Vegas Golden Knights 4, Detroit Red Wings 1
The Vegas Golden Knights (18-7-1) used goals from four different players to claim a 4-1 win against the Detroit Red Wings (11-6-5) on Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena. For the second game in a row, Jack Eichel buried the game’s first goal as he beat Ville Husso at 1:04 of the opening frame. Jonathan Marchessault doubled the lead with a power-play goal at 7:50 of the second before Oskar Sundqvist got the Red Wings on the board with a power-play goal of his own. Late in the period, Nicolas Roy sent Phil Kessel in on a breakaway and Kessel made no mistake as he put Vegas ahead, 3-1. Reilly Smith tacked on an empty-net goal in the third as the Golden Knights came away with the 4-1 victory.
LAST GAME BY THE NUMBERS
- Eichel posts his third point in two games (2-1—3)
- Smith scores his 12th tally of the season
- Kessel’s multi-point performance is the 238th of his career and first with Vegas
- Adin Hill stopped 24 of 25 shots, good for a .960 save percentage on the evening
Jack of all Trades
Jack Eichel has points in 15 of the last 18 games for Vegas (10G-12A), including seven multiple-point efforts. His 29 points are tied for ninth in the league and his +17 rating is tops among all NHL forwards (third overall).
Hey Shea!
Shea Theodore has recorded seven points over the course of Vegas’ last eight games (1-6—7) and ranks 7th amongst defensemen in the league in points so far this season (19). Theodore has had four multi-point games, second to Pietrangelo (six) for the most multipoint games by a Golden Knights defenseman this season.
Dynamic Duo
Jack Eichel and Reilly Smith have both scored in back-to-back games for the third time this season. The duo are the top goal scorers for the Golden Knights and own a combined 25 goals.
The Iron Man
Phil Kessel (1G, 1A) recorded his first mult-point game as a Golden Knight and his first +2 game, while skating in his 1,008th consecutive NHL contest. Kessel’s multi-point performance was the 238th of his career. The Iron Man reached 1,000 consecutive games on November 17, in a win against the Arizona Coyotes.
Cassidy Returns to Boston
Monday’s game against the Bruins will be the first time Bruce Cassidy has returned to Boston since being named head coach of the Golden Knights. Cassidy led the Bruins through six seasons and Boston qualified for the postseason in each of his six seasons behind the bench. Cassidy and the Bruins reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2019, falling short in seven games against the St. Louis Blues. In the following season, Cassidy led Boston to the best record in the NHL (44-14-12), and he won the Jack Adams Award as the top coach in 2019-20. Before joining Boston as an assistant coach and the 2016-17 campaign, Cassidy spent five seasons (2011-16) as head coach of the organization’s AHL affiliate, the Providence Bruins. In Providence, he led the team to an overall record of 207-128-45 in 380 games and qualified for the Calder Cup Playoffs four times.
Rookie of the Month
Logan Thompson stopped a career best of 43 shots in a 4-3 losing decision in Pittsburgh on December 1. Thompson has been strong in net for the Golden Knights and was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for the month of November after going 8-2-0 with a 2.88 goals-against average, and a .909 save percentage in 10 starts. On Monday, Thompson secured his first career shootout win in Columbus. 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. Thompson is second in the league in wins (12) behind Ullmark (13).
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 three off of Eichel’s team lead, and he is fourth on the team in scoring with 20 points.
Martinez Block Party
Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez leads the NHL with 110 blocked shots in 26 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 19 of 26 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.
Easy Steph-y
Chandler Stephenson has 21 points in Vegas’ 26 games, as well as three game-winning goals. Stephenson’s 63.8 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.
First Things First
Eichel’s goal in the first period against Detroit marked the 17th time Vegas has scored first in a game, for the second consecutive game. The Golden Knights have scored nine times in the first five minutes of the first period through 26 games, including Eichel’s goal 1:04 into the first period. The Golden Knights are outscoring opponents 31-14 in the opening frame and lead the NHL in first-period goals. Vegas is 14-3-0 when it scores first and 9-3-0 when leading after the first period.
O from the D
Vegas defensemen have accounted for an NHL-leading 55 assists and 64 points total, which trail only San Jose. Both Alex Pietrangelo (T-5th, 21 points) and Shea Theodore (T-8th, 19 points) are among the top 10 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.
Spreading the Wealth
Eleven Golden Knights have recorded 10 or more points this season, the most of any team in the league. Jack Eichel leads the club with 29 points, followed by Alex Pietrangleo and Chandler Stephenson with 21 points each.
Golden Knights Point Leaders
- Jack Eichel – 29 (13G, 16A)
- Chandler Stephenson – 21 (6G, 15A)
Alex Pietrangelo – 21 (3G, 18A) - Mark Stone – 20 (9G, 11A)
- Jonathan Marchessault – 19 (9G, 10A)
Shea Theodore – 19 (4G, 15A) - Reilly Smith – 18 (12G, 6A)
Hot Streaks
Reilly Smith – 2 games (2-0—2)
Jack Eichel – 2 games (2-1—3)
Phil Kessel – 2 games (1-2—3)
Mark Stone – 2 games (0-2—2)
Chandler Stephenson – 2 games (0-2—2)
Shea Theodore – 2 games (1-1—2)
Against the Bruins
Vegas’ contest with Boston on Monday is the first of two meetings this season. The Golden Knights own a 2-5-1 record against the Bruins, and split their series in 2021-22. Vegas’ only win at TD Garden came last season on Dec. 14, 2021. In their last meeting on Mar. 3, 2022, the Golden Knights fell, 5-2, with goals scored by Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. Mark Stone owns 19 points (8-11—19) in 20 meetings against the Bruins in his career.
2022-23 Season BOS Series: 0-0-0 (Home: 0-0-0, Road: 0-0-0)
Dec. 5 – at Boston
Dec. 11 – at Vegas
2021-22 Season BOS Series: 1-1-0 (Home: 1-0-0, Road: 0-1-0)
Dec. 14 – at Boston (Vegas 4, Boston 1)
Mar. 3 – at Vegas (Vegas 2, Boston 5)
BOSTON BRUINS NOTES:
TONIGHT’S GAME
- The Bruins host the Golden Knights tonight in the 1st of 2 games between these teams this season and Vegas’ lone visit to Boston.
- They are 20-3-0 this season and are 14-0-0 on home ice, which has extended the best home start in league history … They are 9-0-0 vs. Western Conference opponents.
- The Bruins conclude a 4-game home stand tonight vs. Vegas…They will then face a 3-game road trip to Colorado on 12/7, Arizona on 12/9 and Vegas on 12/11.
RECENT GAMES:
- The Bruins have won 10 of their last 11 games with a 7-game win streak from 11/7-21, a 5-2 loss in Florida on 11/23 and wins vs Carolina (3-2 OT on 11/25), Tampa Bay (3-1 on 11/29) and Colorado (5-1 on 12/3) … They are 16-2-0 in their last 18 games.
- They have extended their home win streak from the start of a season to an NHL-record 14-0-0 … It is their longest home win streak overall since 14-0-0 in 2008-09.
- Boston 3 vs Carolina 2/OT … David Krejci erased a 2-goal deficit to force OT where David Pastrnak won the comeback (1-1=2 totals) with Pavel Zacha adding 2A … Jeremy Swayman earned the OT win (0 GA, 6 SOG in 16 Mins) after Linus Ullmark (2 GA, 30 SOG in 47 Mins) left with an injury … SOG: Bos 41, Car 36 … PP: 1/6 … PK: 2/6
- Boston 3 vs Tampa Bay 1 … Taylor Hall scored twice, including his 4th GWG of the season, and Brad Marchand added the team’s 8th ENG … Jeremy Swayman won his 2nd straight decision in net … SOG: Bos 26, TB 28 … PP: 1/1 … PK: 1/2
- Boston 5 vs Colorado 1 … David Pastrnak and Trent Frederic scored twice each and Jake DeBrusk added his 100th career goal, while Charlie McAvoy had 2A … Tomas Nosek took an unsuccessful penalty shot … Linus Ullmark won his league-leading 14th of the season … SOG: Bos 40, Col 25 … PP: 1/5 … PK: 0/3
INJURIES (Total man-games lost in 2022-23: 32)
- Craig Smith – Upper body
BOSTON vs VEGAS, LIFETIME SERIES
- The Bruins and Golden Knights are meeting for the ninth time in their histories with the Bruins having a 6-2-0 record and 23-18 scoring advantage in those games.
- The Bruins are 3-1-0 lifetime vs. Vegas at home with a 10-8 scoring edge in those four contests.
NUMBERS
1: Boston’s rank in win percentage (.870), both goals for per game (4.00) and fewest goals against per game (2.13).
2 / 3: Boston’s special teams ranking in the penalty-kill at 84.1% (14/88) and power play at 29.6% (26/88).
2: Player on the current roster new to the Bruins organization this season – A.J. Greer (free agent) and Pavel Zacha (trade).
4: Game-winning goals by Taylor Hall (tied for 2nd in the NHL), including three straight deciding goals from 10/20-25/2022 – deciding shootout goal vs. Anaheim on 10/20, OT goal vs. Minnesota on 10/22 and GWG vs. Dallas on 10/25.
4: Defenseman points in a game this season by Hampus Lindholm (1-3=4 vs PIT on 11/1) and Charlie McAvoy (4A vs CHI on 11/19).
4: Points by David Pastrnak (1-3=4 totals) on 10/12/2022 in Washington in the 2022-23 season opener … That is the most points in a Boston opener since Brad Marchand (2-3=5) and Pastrnak (2-2=4) in 10/13/2016.
8: Straight wins by Linus Ullmark from 10/12-11/3/2022 … It was a new career-best win streak and it also tied the longest win streak by a Boston goaltender from the start of a season (Tim Thomas, also 8-0-0 in 2010-11).
9: Game point streak by David Pastrnak from 11/7-25 with 6-7=13 totals in that span … That was his longest such stretch since a career-best 13-game stretch in 2019-20.
9: Players on the Bruins current roster who played college hockey – Connor Clifton, Charlie Coyle, Derek Forbort, Trent Frederic, AJ Greer, Matt Grzelcyk, Charlie McAvoy, Craig Smith and Jeremy Swayman.
10: Former first round draft picks on the current roster – Charlie Coyle, Jake DeBrusk, Derek Forbert, Trent Frederic, Taylor Hall, Hampus Lindholm, Charlie McAvoy, David Pastrnak, Pavel Zacha and Jakub Zboril
14: Straight home wins to open this season, which is the longest such streak in NHL history … That is tied as Boston’s longest home win streak overall since a 14-game stretch in 2008-09.
19: Consecutive wins by Boston over Arizona after their 6-3 win on 10/15/2022 … That are the most wins by one opponent in club history.
+44: Boston’s league-leading goal differential, including an NHL-best 3rd period goal differential at 34-12 and +22.
390-25-20: Boston’s record since 2011-12 in games in which they have had a 2-goal lead in a game … That extends to 255-2-6 over that span when they have led by 3 goals
551: Consecutive Bruins games (regular season & playoffs) currently sold out at TD Garden … Their last non-sellout game was on 12/2/2009 when a Wednesday game vs. TB drew 16,553
FUN FACTS
- The Bruins currently have 22 players on their roster … 10 were drafted by the team, 4 were acquired in trade and 8 were signed as free agents.
- The Bruins play 16 matinees this season (local start time 4:00 pm or earlier) … They have a 2-0-0 record in afternoon games so far.
- The Bruins play 14 sets of back-to-back games this season … They are currently 3-0-0 in the 1st game of those sets and are 2-1-0 in the 2nd games so far.
- The Bruins are playing game 2 of a 14-game December schedule tonight (8 hm/6 rd, 1-0-0) … They will play 14 games in January (5 hm/9 rd), 10 in February (3 hm/7 rd), 15 in March (9 hm/6 rd) and 7 in April (3 hm/4 rd) … They went 8-1-0 in October and 11-2-0 in December.
RECENT TRANSACTIONS:
Nov. 2: Keith Kinkaid recalled from Providence/AHL.
Nov. 7: Jakub Lauko returned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 9: Mike Reilly placed on waivers for assignment to Providence/AHL (assigned Nov. 10).
Nov. 16: Keith Kinkaid returned to Providence/AHL.
Nov. 28: Anton Stralman placed on waivers (cleared 11/29).
