The Vegas Golden Knights may be enjoying their vacation, but the schedulers definitely have them on their naughty list for this game.
The Golden Knights start their season with a tough test on Saturday, taking on the Colorado Avalanche.
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site: T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, Nevada
date: Saturday, December 27
time: 7:00 PM PST
How to watch: ESPN+, Scripps
radio: 1340 AM, 94.7 AM
In a league of even strength, the Avalanche took the NHL by storm. The Avalanche have won six straight games and are the favorites to win the Presidents Trophy this season. The Golden Knights needed a huge effort to pull off the win in front of their home fans.
As difficult as it may be, there are a number of ways they can make a statement in their first game back.
Maximum power
Despite injuries to key players, the Golden Knights were still able to put together one of the hottest power plays in the league.
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The Golden Knights have scored at least one goal on the man advantage in their past six games, with Pavel Dorofeyev scoring six power-play scores during that span. However, things won’t be easy for the Avalanche, who enter this matchup with the league’s highest penalty kill percentage (85.4%). In order to win, the Golden Knights need to take advantage of the opportunities given to them.
impenetrable defense
One thing that both the Avalanche and Golden Knights pride themselves on is how well they play in the defensive zone.
The Avalanche average 2.11 goals conceded per game, ranking first in the league, and their defense and offense are equally strong. The Golden Knights, meanwhile, allowed just 26 goals in December, the second-lowest total in the league. Both teams have to work together offensively to score.
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committee rating
In their final game before halftime against the San Jose Sharks, the Golden Knights found the scoring depth they were missing.
Six different Golden Knights put the puck in the net (Mitch Marner was the only player to score twice), and all four defensive lines scored for the first time this season. With Jack Eichel still out of the lineup, we’re going to be chasing the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar. The Avalanche will have the advantage in raw star power, so the Golden Knights will have to rely on superior depth to get the job done.
