Golden Knights Gameday 67: Jiri-eka!: Lines and Notes vs Blues

The Vegas Golden Knights (40-20-6, 86 points) are right back at it with another game this afternoon against the St. Louis Blues (29-31-5, 63 points) at 4:00 p.m. The VGK are coming off a strong 4-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes Saturday, where Jonathan Quick posted a shutout.

This is the third and final matchup of the season series between these two teams. The Golden Knights are 1-1 against the Blues.

With injuries to four other goaltenders and Quick playing last night, Jiri Patera is expected to make his first career NHL start as the sixth goaltender used for the VGK this season. Patera has played in 27 games with the Henderson Silver Knights this season registering a 2.66 GAA and .916 save percentage.

Ivan Barbashev will make his return to St. Louis after being traded to the Golden Knights two weeks ago today. William Karlsson will also play in career game no. 600, 417 coming with the Golden Knights.

It is also possible that Keegan Kolesar will be out of the lineup with a back injury, meaning Pavel Dorofeyev would replace him on the fourth line.

What to Watch For

Back to Work

With 15 games on the NHL schedule yesterday, both teams are coming off a back-to-back. The Golden Knights defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 and the Blues beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2. Having the extra umph in games on back-to-back night will be critical for the victor.

Barbie's Back

Ivan Barashev will make his St. Louis return after spending seven years with the franchise and winning a Stanley Cup with the team in 2019. He will most certainly be honored by the team, which could perhaps give him some extra motivation to have a strong game. 

With the Golden Knights so far, Barbashev has five points in seven games.

Jiri-eka!

Injuries to Robin Lehner, Logan Thompson, Laurent Brossoit, and Adin Hill have paved the way for Jiri Patera to make his NHL debut tonight. The 24-year old Czech goaltender was drafted in the sixth round by the Golden Knights in 2017. He has played with the Silver Knights in parts of three seasons.

"I've been dreaming about that since I was young and it's gonna be a lot of fun. I am really excited. I'm probably going to call my parents right away and hopefully we get the win," said Patera.

Projected Golden Knights Line Combinations

Ivan Barbashev- Jack Eichel- Jonathan Marchessault

Reilly Smith- William Karlsson- Michael Amadio

Paul Cotter- Chandler Stephenson- Phil Kessel

Brett Howden- Teddy Blueger- Keegan Kolesar

Nicolas Hague- Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb- Shea Theodore

Alec Martinez- Zach Whitecloud

Jiri Patera/Jonathan Quick

Golden Knights Special Teams

PP1: Stephenson, Marchessault, Smith, Eichel, Pietrangelo

PP2: Barbashev, Karlsson, Kessel, Amadio, Theodore

PK1: Karlsson, Smith, McNabb, Pietrangelo

PK2: Stephenson, Blueger, Whitecloud, Martinez

IR/Scratches

Nolan Patrick, Robin Lehner/Mark Stone (c), Logan Thompson, Laurent Brossoit, Will Carrier, Adin Hill/Ben Hutton

Projected Blues Line Combinations

Alexi Toropchenko- Robert Thomas- Jordan Kyrou

Jakub Vrana- Pavel Buchnevich- Kasperi Kapanen

Brandon Saad- Brayden Schenn- Sammy Blais

Nathan Walker- Nikita Alexandrov- Josh Leivo

Nick Leddy- Colton Parayko

Marco Scandella- Justin Faulk

Torey Krug- Robert Bortuzzo

Jordan Binnington/Thomas Greiss

Blues Special Teams

PP1- Blais, Schenn, Vrana, Kyrou, Krug

PP2- Saad, Buchnevich, Thomas, Kapanen, Faulk

PK1- Schenn, Toropchenko, Leddy, Parayko

PK2- Buchnevich, Kapanen, Scandella, Faulk

IR/Scratches

Jake Neighbours/Tyler Pitlick, Logan Brown, Alexey Toropchenko, Calle Rossen, Tyler Tucker

How to Watch/Listen

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