Golden Knights Gameday 44: Mr. McDavid: Lines and Notes vs Oilers

Connor McDavid will be the main event on the Las Vegas Strip Saturday night as the Vegas Golden Knights (28-13-2, 58 points) play the Edmonton Oilers (23-18-3, 49 points) at T-Mobile Arena a little after 7:00 p.m. The now 26-year-old McDavid and the Oilers are coming off a 7-1 win against the San Jose Sharks on Friday. McDavid naturally had two goals and an assist.

The Golden Knight's captain, Mark Stone, will not play in tonight's game due to an upper-body injury. He left in the first period of the Golden Knight's most recent game against the Florida Panthers. The VGK have recalled forward Byron Froese from the Henderson Silver Knights response.

This is the second of four meetings between these two Pacific Division teams. The Oilers beat the VGK in their first matchup 4-3 in overtime, with McDavid scoring the overtime winner. The Oilers are holding onto the last spot in the Western Conference playoff picture with 49 points. 

The Golden Knights are 7-7-2 all-time against the Oilers.

What to Watch For

Obligatory McDavid Watch

He's the best player in the league with 82 points in 42 games played and is on pace for an over 150-point season. Watching him closely and limiting him as much as possible is critical to the Golden Knights, as the Oilers are the most top-heavy team in the NHL.

Setting Off Without Stone

For the first time this season, the Golden Knights will play a game without captain Mark Stone. Stone has been critical in the Golden Knight's success this season, with 38 points in 43 games played. With a leader both on and off the ice out, look for guys like Jack Eichel, Jonathan Marchessault, and Chandler Stephenson to step up their game to negate the loss of Stone.

Keep Them Down

Despite having the best talent in the league, the Oilers are right on the playoff bubble. Considering the Golden Knights would play the Oilers if the playoffs magically started today, knocking the Oilers down a peg by taking some points off the table for them is key. No matter how they look, playing McDavid in the first round would not be a wish for most NHL teams.

Projected Vegas Golden Knights Line Combinations

Chandler Stephenson– Jack Eichel- Jonathan Marchessault

Reilly Smith- William Karlsson- Phil Kessel

Paul Cotter- Michael Amadio- Byron Froese

Will Carrier- Nicolas Roy- Keegan Kolesar

Nicolas Hague- Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb- Kaedan Korczak

Alec Martinez- Ben Hutton

Logan Thompson/Adin Hill

Golden Knights Special Teams

PP1: Stephenson, Marchessault, Smith, Eichel, Pietrangelo

PP2: Cotter, Karlsson, Kessel, Roy, Hutton

PK1: Karlsson, Smith, McNabb, Pietrangelo

PK2: Stephenson, Roy, Hague, Hutton

IR/Scratches

Shea Weber, Nolan Patrick, Robin Lehner/Mark Stone, Brett Howden, Pavel Dorofeyev, Shea Theodore, Zach Whitecloud, Daniil Miromanov

Projected Oilers Line Combinations

Dylan Holloway- Connor McDavid- Derek Ryan

Ryan McLeod- Leon Draisaitl- Zach Hyman

Mattias Janmark- Ryan Nugent-Hopins- Klim Kostin

Vincent Desharnais- Warren Foegele- Jesse Puljujarvi

Darnell Nurse- Cody Ceci

Brett Kulak- Tyson Barrie

Philip Broberg- Evan Bouchard

Calvin Pickard/Jack Campbell

Oilers Special Teams

PP1- Hyman, RNH, Draisaitl, McDavid, Barrie

PP2- McLeod, Holloway, Foegele, Puljujarvi, Bouchard

PK1- McDavid, Ryan, Nurse, Ceci

PK2- RNH, Janmark, Desharnais, Broberg

IR/Scratches

Oscar Klefbom, Mike Smith/Evander Kane, Ryan Murray, Stuart Skinner, Kailer Yamamoto/Devin Shore, Markus Niemelainen

How to Watch/Listen

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