Golden Knights Gameday 78: Win Out: Lines, Notes vs Capitals

The Vegas Golden Knights (41-31-5, 87 points) will likely have to win out the remaining five games of their season to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They are coming off of a tough loss to the New Jersey Devils and need a win Wednesday night against the Washington Capitals (43-23-10, 96 points).

“I really believe we can win out. That’s what we have got to do and that has to go to be our goal and I think if we do that I don’t know if we will need help,” said Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer.

The Golden Knights are currently chasing the Los Angeles Kings for third in the Pacific Division standings as well as the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators for a Wild Card spot. The Vancouver Canucks are also chasing the Golden Knights in the standings and tied the VGK with 87 points Tuesday night.

Here is an updated look at the updated Golden Knights playoff odds.

Robin Lehner is expected to start against the Capitals. He is coming off of a shaky game against the Devils where he let in two weak goals. Head coach DeBoer said the following after Monday’s game.

“This time of year you are looking for your guy to be better than the guy at the other end and that wasn’t the case tonight,” DeBoer said after Lehner stopped 25 of 28 against the Devils.

Keys to the Game

Win Out

The stage is set for the Golden Knights to finish off the season. They more than likely have to win out to make the postseason and the team believes that they can do it. They will need to start this potential five-game winning streak Wednesday night against the Capitals, who have already clinched a playoff spot and are coming off of a win against the Colorado Avalanche.

Goaltending

All eyes will be on Lehner after his performance against the Devils. With a solid backup option in Logan Thompson sitting on the bench with a new set of pads, Lehner is on a short leash. The Golden Knights cannot afford to have Lehner struggle once more.

Scoring Star Players

Not only has Lehner been shaky but the offense has dried up for the Golden Knights. The team scored only one goal against Andrew Hammond and the Devils for the majority of the game Monday. They will need star players like Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone to start chipping in more offensively.

Projected Vegas Golden Knights Line Combinations

Jonathan Marchessault- Jack Eichel- Mark Stone

Max Pacioretty- Chandler Stephenson- Evgenii Dadonov

Mattias Janmark- William Karlsson- Michael Amadio

Jake Leschyshyn- Nicolas Roy- Keegan Kolesar

Ben Hutton– Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb- Shea Theodore

Alec Martinez- Zach Whitecloud

Robin Lehner/Logan Thompson

Vegas Golden Knights Special Teams

17.33% Powerplay (24th) and 77.50% Penalty Kill (21st)

PP1: Pacioretty, Eichel, Stone Dadonov, Theodore

PP2: Roy, Karlsson, Marchessault, Stephenson, Pietrangelo

PK1: Karlsson, Janmark, McNabb, Pietrangelo

PK2: Stephenson, Roy, Martinez, Whitecloud

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

Reilly Smith (knee), Laurent Brossoit (undisclosed), Nicolas Hague (lower-body), Brett Howden (upper-body), William Carrier (lower-body), Nolan Patrick (undisclosed), Dylan Coghlan (scratched)

Projected Washington Capitals Line Combinations

Alex Ovechkin- Evgeny Kuznetsov- TJ Oshie

Marcus Johansson- Nicklas Backstrom- Conor Sheary

Anthony Mantha- Lars Eller- Tom Wilson

Johan Larsson- Nic Dowd- Garnet Hathaway

Martin Fehervary- John Carlson

Dmitri Orlov- Nick Jensen

Trevor van Riemsdyk- Justin Schultz

Ilya Samsonov/Vitek Vanecek

Washington Capitals Special Teams

20.17% Powerplay (19th) and 82.08% Penalty Kill (10th)

PP1-Oshie, Backstrom, Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, Carlson

PP2- Wilson, Johansson, Mantha, Ovechkin, Schultz

PK1- Dowd, Wilson, van Riemsdyk, Jensen

PK2- Larsson, Eller, Feheravary, Carlson

Injured Reserve/COVID-19 Protocols/Scratches

Carl Hagelin, Joe Snively

How to Watch/Listen

7:00 pm on At&t Sportsnet, ESPN+, and Fox Sports 98.9 FM Radio.