Golden Knights Gameday
Golden Knights Gameday 5: Reloading Ammo: Lines and Notes vs Jets
The Vegas Golden Knights (3-1-0, six points) are back at home for their first of three-straight home games. They will play the Winnipeg Jets (2-1-0, four points) at T-Mobile Arena at 7:00 pm Thursday.
The Golden Knights are 7-9-0 all-time against the Jets and have met them once in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, in the Western Conference Final in 2018.
Adin Hill will get his first-ever start at home as a member of the VGK, and Michael Amadio will be reinserted into the lineup for Paul Cotter.
Mark Stone, who took a puck to the face in practice, is fine and expected to play against the Jets.
What to Watch For
Ammo Reload: Drawing back into the lineup will be Michael Amadio, a waiver claim last season from the Maple Leafs who went on to score 11 goals last season and earn a two-year contract extension.
He will be playing third fiddle to two guys that have played together since the start of the franchise in Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson. Look for Ammo to have some quality offensive chances.
When asked about the lineup change, head coach Bruce Cassidy said the following.
“I think with Paul (Cotter), it was a simple decision. His game dropped off a bit in Seattle, and we wanted to let him play through it in Calgary. But we just felt like it was not at the same level it was… Ammo had a pretty good camp and has played here, we just felt we need a different flavor,” said Cassidy.
Freshly Shaven Phil: Four games away from becoming the NHL’s all-time Iron Man, Phil Kessel changed up his style for Thursday’s practice by shaving his beard. I asked him if it was for good luck after practice, and he said yeah, but also that he wanted to look a bit younger.
Looking younger both on and off the ice will be Kessel’s goal for this season. So far, he hasn’t impressed in four games with the VGK. On the top line with Jack Eichel and Reilly Smith, Kessel has just one assist and has taken two penalties. If anything, his defensive game has been surprisingly good so far.
Discipline: Speaking of penalties, don’t expect the Golden Knights to take six in one period as they did against the Calgary Flames. Call it what you want. Officiating, sloppy play, etc. But it cannot be repeated.
Goaltending Battle: The battle between Logan Thompson and Adin Hill in goal continues as Hill gets his second start of the season. Both goaltenders have continued to look strong and have made their cases to be the team’s defacto starter with Robin Lehner out for the season. Cassidy says the team has its plans for goaltending laid out for the month of October, and it looks like Hill v Winnipeg is a part of it.
Projected Vegas Golden Knights Line Combinations
Reilly Smith- Jack Eichel- Phil Kessel
Brett Howden- Chandler Stephenson- Mark Stone (c)
Jonathan Marchessault- William Karlsson- Michael Amadio
William Carrier- Nicolas Roy- Keegan Kolesar
Alec Martinez- Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb- Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague- Zach Whitecloud
Adin Hill/Logan Thompson
Vegas Golden Knights Special Teams
PP1: Stone, Eichel, Stephenson, Marchessault, Pietrangelo
PP2: Roy, Karlsson, Smith, Kessel, Theodore
PK1: Roy, Stephenson, McNabb, Pietrangelo
PK2: Karlsson, Stone, Martinez, Whitecloud
IR/Scratches
Paul Cotter, Jake Leschyshyn, Ben Hutton, Laurent Brossoit
Projected Jets Line Combinations
Kyle Connor- Mark Scheifele- Mason Appleton
Cole Perfetti- Pierre-Luc Dubois- Blake Wheeler
Morgan Barron- Adam Lowry- Saku Maenalanen
Axel Jonsson-Fjallby- David Gustafsson- Sam Gagner
Josh Morrissey- Neal Pionk
Brenden Dillon- Nate Schmidt
Dylan Samberg- Dylan DeMelo
Connor Hellebuyck/David Rittich
Jets Special Teams
PP1- Dubois, Scheifele, Wheeler, Morrissey, Connor
PP2- Gagner, Lowry, Perfetti, Pionk, Schmidt
PK1- Lowry, Maenalanen, Dillon, Schmidt
PK2- Barron, Appleton, DeMelo, Pionk
IR/Scratches
Nikolaj Ehlers, Logan Stanley, Kyle Capobianco
How to Watch/Listen
7:00 pm on AT&T Sportsnet, ESPN+, and Fox Sports 98.9 FM Radio.