Golden Knights Gameday 38: Back to Quack: Lines and Notes vs Ducks

The Vegas Golden Knights (24-12-1, 49 points) will look to rebound after just their third regulation road loss of the season Tuesday night with a 7:00 p.m. matchup against the Anaheim Ducks (9-22-4, 22 points) at Honda Center. The Ducks are in the midst of a 10-game homestand, and the VGK are wrapping up (pun intended) their post-Holiday break two-game road trip to California.

This is the second of three meetings between these two teams. The Golden Knights defeated the Ducks on Nevada Day 4-0 on Oct. 28th. They are 16-4-5 all-time against the Ducks.

The status of Alec Martinez will be revealed closer to game time as the NHL's leader in blocked shots (137 in 37 games played) blocked one in the wrong spot against the Kings Tuesday. The VGK are already without Shea Theodore and Zach Whitecloud on the blue line.

Jonathan Marchessault, who is currently out with a lower-body injury, could also return to the lineup as he is traveling with the team.

What to Watch For

Avoid The Quack Trap

With little expectations on them, the Ducks are struggling this season, sitting in the basement of the NHL's standings. They have just nine wins on the season, with only three of them coming in regulation. They are first in the league in goals allowed per game (4.11) and second-last in goals scored (2.31). 

This sets the stage for a trap game for the Golden Knights, who will look to not play down to the same level as the Ducks.

Powerplay Prowess

The Golden Knight's powerplay in the month of December has been on fire, going 14/35 for a 40% goal output. Against the Ducks' 30th-ranked penalty kill, the VGK will look to take advantage of powerplay opportunities when they arise.

Taking Notes

With the Ducks being a struggling team, Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon will likely be taking some notes on potential players the Ducks could sell at the 2022 NHL Trade Deadline. Max Comtois, Derek Grant, John Klingberg, Dmitry Kulikov, and Kevin Shattenkirk are all on expiring contracts. For the Golden Knights, they could be eying down a depth forward to help the team's secondary scoring.

Projected Vegas Golden Knights Line Combinations

Michael Amadio- Chandler Stephenson- Mark Stone (c)

Reilly Smith- William Karlsson- Phil Kessel

Jonas Rondbjerg- Jake Leschyshyn- Pavel Dorofeyev

Will Carrier- Nicolas Roy- Keegan Kolesar

Nicolas Hague- Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb- Daniil Miromanov

Ben Hutton- Brayden Pachal

Adin Hill/Logan Thompson

Golden Knights Special Teams

PP1: Stephenson, Stone, Smith, Amadio, Pietrangelo

PP2: Dorofeyev, Karlsson, Kessel, Roy, Miromanov

PK1: Karlsson, Smith, McNabb, Pietrangelo

PK2: Stephenson, Stone, Hague, Hutton

IR/Scratches

Shea Weber, Nolan Patrick, Robin Lehner/Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, Paul Cotter, Brett Howden, Shea Theodore, Alec Martinez, Zach Whitecloud

Projected Ducks Line Combinations

Adam Henrique- Trevor Zegras- Troy Terry

Max Comtois- Ryan Strome- Jakob Silfverberg

Frank Vatrano- Mason McTavish- Brett Leason

Justin Kirkland- Sam Carrick- Jayson Megna

Cam Fowler- Dmitry Kulikov

Simon Benoit- John Klingberg

Nathan Beaulieu- Kevin Shattenkirk

Lukas Dostal/Olle Eriksson Ek

Ducks Special Teams

PP1- Henrique, McTavish, Terry, Fowler, Zegras

PP2- Silfverberg, Strome, Vatrano, Klingberg, Shattenkirk

PK1- Henrique, Silfverberg, Benoit, Kulikov

PK2- Carrick Vatrano, Fowler, Beaulieu

IR/Scratches

John Moore, Max Jones, John Gibson, Jamie Drysdale, Isac Lundestrom, Derek Grant, Anthony Stolarz/Urho Vaakanainen, Colton White

How to Watch/Listen

7:00 p.m. on AT&T Sportsnet, ESPN+ and Fox Sports 98.9 FM Radio.