Golden Knights Gameday #52: Goodbye Gila, Lines, Notes, vs Coyotes

The Vegas Golden Knights (29-18-4) will play what will likely be their last ever game at Gila River Arena Friday night against the Arizona Coyotes (13-34-4) at 6:30 pm. The Coyotes are confirmed to be relocating to play in Arizona State University’s new multi-purpose arena as soon as next season.

This is one of six matchups on the slate for the NHL Friday night. Check on the NHL odds right here.

For the Coyotes the move to ASU is essentially the only major news story to come from the franchise all season. They are rebuilding once more and are in the basement of the NHL’s standings. With only eight players on their active roster signed past this season, the Coyotes will be sellers at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline.

The Coyotes are led in scoring by All-Star Clayton Keller who has 45 points in 51 games. Two-time Stanley Cup Champion Phil Kessel has six goals and 27 assists this season for 33 points in 51 games.

In terms of lineup changes, the Golden Knights are expected to welcome back Zach Whitecloud into the lineup after he missed a handful of games due to a broken bone in his foot. Head coach Peter DeBoer said Thursday that a couple of guys were out with the flu. Based on practice lines this player is likely Jonathan Marchessault. Jake Leschyshyn has been recalled from the Henderson Silver Knights.

Keys to the Game

500 Wins for Peter DeBoer

Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer is currently sitting at 499 career wins. Only 27 coaches in NHL history have reached the 500-win mark and with a win tonight DeBoer could join the likes of Scotty Bowman and Al Arbour.

Speaking of DeBoer, his newly formed line combinations will get a test against the Coyotes. The Misfit Line has been broken up once more and Ben Hutton is playing on the top D-pair.

The Schedule is Heating Up

Now that the month of rescheduling games due to COVID and the NHL not going to the Olympics is over, we can get back to a normal schedule. The Golden Knights play 16 games in 31 days, essentially a game every other day, and getting into a solid rhythm is crucial.

The rest is much appreciated but we are now in the stretch run and the push to the playoffs for the season. For the Golden Knights, every game matters, even if it is against the 13-win Arizona Coyotes.

Projected Vegas Golden Knights Line Combinations

Max Pacioretty- Jack Eichel- Chandler Stephenson

Evgenii Dadonov- William Karlsson- Reilly Smith

Mattias Janmark- Nicolas Roy- Michael Amadio

William Carrier- Brett Howden- Keegan Kolesar

Ben Hutton- Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb- Shea Theodore

Nicolas Hague- Zach Whitecloud

Laurent Brossoit/Logan Thompson

Vegas Golden Knights Special Teams

19.08% Powerplay (21st) and 79.43% Penalty Kill (16th)

PP1: Pacioretty, Dadonov, Stephenson, Eichel, Theodore

PP2: Roy, Smith, Karlsson, Janmark, Pietrangelo

PK1: Karlsson, Smith, McNabb, Pietrangelo

PK2: Roy, Janmark, Hague, Whitecloud

Injured Reserve/COVID-19 Protocols/Scratches/Taxi Squad

Mark Stone (back), Robin Lehner (upper-body), Alec Martinez (face), Nolan Patrick (head), Michael Amadio (scratched), Jonathan Marchessault (flu), Dylan Coghlan (scratched)

Projected Arizona Coyotes Line Combinations

Clayton Keller- Travis Boyd- Nick Schmaltz

Lawson Crouse- Alex Galchenyuk- Phil Kessel

Antoine Roussel- Barrett Hayton- Loui Eriksson

Liam O’Brien- Riley Nash- Christian Fischer

Shayne Gostisbehere- Dysin Mayo

Janis Moser- Anton Stralman

Vladislav Kolyachonok- Jakob Chychrun

Karel Vejmelka/Scott Wedgewood

Arizona Coyotes Special Teams

11.94% Powerplay (32nd) and 73.21% Penalty Kill (31st)

PP1- Crouse, Schmaltz, Kessel, Keller, Gostisbehere

PP2- Eriksson, Boyd, Galchenyuk, Moser, Chychyrn

PK1- Boyd, Keller, Mayo, Stralman

PK2- Crouse, Eriksson, Moser, Chychryn

Injured Reserve/COVID-19 Protocols/Scratches

Conor Timmins, Jay Beagle, Dmitri Jaskin, Johan Larsson, Andrew Ladd

How to Watch/Listen

6:30 pm on At&t Sportsnet, ESPN+ and Fox Sports 98.9 FM Radio.