Four Point Game: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings Preview

The Vegas Golden Knights take on the surging Los Angeles Kings Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena. This is one of those important, divisional four-point games that could matter in the season-ending standings.

Expect to see a tightly contested game where every inch of ice must be earned. The Golden Knights are great off the rush. The Kings are great at clogging the neutral zone. The Golden Knights will need to buy in early to a dump-and-chase game and commit to getting pucks behind the Kings’ defensemen.

Coach Bruce Cassidy loves his players to do two things. Win races and board battles. The Golden Knights better roll up their sleeves and be ready to get dirty to win tonight’s game.

About the Golden Knights (11-1-1, 23 points): The Golden Knights enter Wednesday’s game for the first time this season off a regulation loss. Injuries are continuing to pop up. Alec Martinez missed Sunday’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. Chandler Stephenson is set to miss tonight’s game against the Kings. Nicolas Hague and Nicolas Roy remain out. Zach Whitecloud is close to returning but is not expected to play tonight against the Kings.

Expected lines

Barbashev-Eichel-Marchessault
Carrier-Amadio-Stone
Cotter-Karlsson-Dorofeyev
Rondbjerg-Howden-Kolesar

Martinez-Pietrangelo
McNabb-Theodore
Hutton-Pachal

Hill

About the Kings ( 7-2-2, 16 points): The Kings enter tonight’s game 6-0-0 on the road and are on a points streak of six games. Adrian Kempe and Kevin Fiala lead the Kings with 12 points. Projected starting goaltender Cam Talbot is 6-2-1 with a 2.14 GA/G and .923 SV%.

Golden Knights to watch: Will Carrier and Michael Amadio have a big chance at elevated minutes and to have a hand in tonight’s outcome. Can they seize the moment? Ivan Barbashev has not had a great start to the season with five points (4 goals) through 13 games. Will Barbashev finish tonight’s game on the top line?

Key storyline: If things are not going according to plan, expect to see the lines tossed in a blender throughout the game. The bottom three lines could be reduced to two lines with Rondbjerg, Howden, and Kolesar not seeing a lot of minutes.

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Time: 7:00 p.m. PST.
TV: TNT
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340