Golden Knights Gameday 11: On The Road Again: Lines and Notes vs Capitals

The Vegas Golden Knights (8-2-0, 16 points) embark on a five-game road trip to usher in the month of November. Their first opponent is the Washington Capitals (5-4-1, 11 points) Tuesday at 4:00 p.m.

After missing a few games with injury, Keegan Kolesar will return to the Golden Knights lineup and replace Jake Leschyshyn. Elsewhere, goaltender Laurent Brossoit has been assigned to the Henderson Silver Knights on a conditioning stint as he recovers from hip surgery.

At the start of the season, head coach Bruce Cassidy said he had a set plan through October for rotating the Golden Knight’s goaltenders, Logan Thompson and Adin Hill. Now that a new month is upon us, we’ll see if one of the two (maybe three soon) goaltenders can gain separation as the team’s starter.

What to Watch For

Capitals’ Injuries

The Washington Capitals are absolutely slammed with injuries currently. Key members of their team, such as Nicklas Backstrom, Carl Hagelin, Tom Wilson, Connor Brown, TJ Oshie, and John Carlson, are all out. This is a main proponent of their near-500 start to the season and will have an effect tonight as well.

Team Bonding

For better or worse, the Golden Knight’s roster is nearly the same as it was last season in terms of personnel. Bruce Cassidy, Phil Kessel, and Adin Hill are the notable additions. But this doesn’t mean some good old-fashioned team bonding on the road can’t hurt the team’s overall play.

For guys like Kessel, Hill, and even Jack Eichel trips like these can help the team grow as a unit both on and off the ice. Plane rides, going out to dinner, and hanging out with teammates in a new light typically helps teams grow, and this first major road trip for the VGK should do just that.

Going Streaking

With their win over the Jets, the Golden Knights have now won four straight. They’re in a category that is only occupied also by the Boston Bruins this season, as teams who are off to astonishing starts in 22-23.

With a depleted Capitals team, three teams who missed the playoffs last year, and the Toronto Maple Leafs on the upcoming schedule, the Golden Knights could add to this streak. But parity exists.

Projected Vegas Golden Knights Line Combinations

Chandler Stephenson- Jack Eichel- Mark Stone (c)

Jonathan Marchessault- William Karlsson– Reilly Smith

Michael Amadio- Brett Howden- Phil Kessel

William Carrier- Nicolas Roy- Keegan Kolesar

Alec Martinez- Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb- Shea Theodore

Nicolas Hague- Zach Whitecloud

Logan Thompson/Adin Hill

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

Laurent Brossoit, Keegan Kolesar/Paul Cotter, Ben Hutton

Projected Capitals Line Combinations

Alex Ovechkin- Dylan Strome- Conor Sheary

Marcus Johansson- Evgeny Kuznetsov- Connor McMichael

Aliaksei Protas- Lars Eller- Anthony Mantha

Beck Malenstyn- Nic Dowd- Garnet Hathaway

Dmitri Orlov- Trevor van Riemsdyk

Martin Fehervary- Nick Jensen

Erik Gustafsson- Matt Irwin

Darcy Kuemper/Charlie Lindgren

Capitals Special Teams

PP1- Johansson, Strome, Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, Orlov

PP2- Sheary, Kuznetsov, Ovechkin, Mantha, Gustafsson

PK1- Dowd, Sheary, TVR, Jensen

PK2- Eller, Hathaway, Fehervary, Orlov

IR/Scratches

Nicklas Backstrom, Carl Hagelin, Tom Wilson, Connor Brown, TJ Oshie, John Carlson/Joe Snively

How to Watch/Listen

4:00 p.m. on AT&T Sportsnet, ESPN, and Fox Sports 98.9 FM Radio.