Golden Knights Gameday 0.7: Into Idaho! Preseason Lines and Notes vs Coyotes

At long last, the preseason is almost over. The Vegas Golden Knights will play their final preseason game on the road in Boise, Idaho, on Saturday against the Arizona Coyotes. Then, they can start catching up to the San Jose Sharks and Nashville Predators, who have already started the regular season.

Saturday’s game is game two of a special mini-road trip for the VGK. They defeated the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday in Salt Lake City, Utah. They will play the Coyotes at Idaho Central Arena, home of the Idaho Steelheads Saturday in Boise.

Expect a close-to-NHL lineup from Bruce Cassidy and the Golden Knights as they prepare for their first game of the 2022-23 regular season, which will be on Tuesday. Will Carrier and Zach Whitecloud are currently out for the VGK with injuries. There is a chance that Whitecloud could play, as he has been skating by himself.

Given that the preseason is nearly complete, here are some quick stats on the team’s exhibition endeavors: Reilly Smith and Jack Eichel have three goals and three assists in three preseason games. Michael Amadio has four points, one goal, and three assists. Whitecloud has four assists in three games.

What to Watch

Brett Howden– After a strong preseason game against the Kings, Howden was bumped into the top six. He’s been speedy and opportunistic but needs to do a better job at hitting the net and finishing his chances. Watch for Howden to get a grade-A look alongside Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone.

Phil Kessel– With Howden getting bumped up, Kessel is now on the third line with William Karlsson. Kessel seemed to have good chemistry with Eichel but now will have to develop some with Karly.

Logan Thompson– He struggled early in the team’s game against the Kings but rebounded with a much better remainder of the game. As the frontrunner to be the team’s new starter, keep an eye on LT.

Team Structure– Tonight’s lineup will likely be the closest we will get to view an opening night lineup. So pay close attention to how the team as one unit performs under Cassidy’s new systems.

The Powerplay– Assuming most, if not all, NHLers for the VGK will be in the lineup, the powerplay will get the chance to practice. More on the powerplay next week.

How to Watch/Listen

5:00 pm on PT KTNV Channel 13 and Fox Sports 98.9 FM Radio.

Projected Golden Knights Lines

Reilly Smith- Jack Eichel- Jonathan Marchessault

Brett Howden- Chandler Stephenson- Mark Stone

Paul Cotter- Nicolas Roy- Keegan Kolesar

Sakari Manninen- Jake Leschyshyn- Pavel Dorofeyev

Ben Hutton- Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb- Shea Theodore

Jake Bischoff- Kaedan Korczak

Logan Thompson/Adin Hill

Night off: Alec Martinez, Phil Kessel, William Karlsson, Michael Amadio, Jonas Rondbjerg, Michael Hutchinson

Hurt: Zach Whitecloud (day-to-day), Will Carrier (mid-body injury, day-to-day)

Projected Coyotes Lines

TBA

Up Next

The start of the 2022-23 regular season begins on Tuesday, Oct. 11 for the Golden Knights in LA.