Golden Knights Gameday 79: Playoff Preview?: Lines and Starting Goalies vs Kings

The Vegas Golden Knights (48-22-8, 104 points) take on the Los Angeles Kings (45-23-10, 100 points) tonight at 7:00 p.m. from T-Mobile Arena in what could be a first-round playoff matchup for both teams. Laurent Brossoit will start in goal, and head coach Bruce Cassidy also made a couple of lineup changes.

Pavel Dorofeyev has moved to the team's top line alongside Jack Eichel and Jonathan Marchessault. Michael Amadio is back in the lineup on the second line, and Teddy Blueger, Paul Cotter, and Brayden Pachal are healthy scratches.

What to Watch For

Playoff Preview

If the Edmonton Oilers, who are only one point behind the VGK in the standings, pass the Golden Knights, this matchup (Kings v Golden Knights) will likely be a first-round matchup. So it goes without saying that almost every aspect of this game is important, as these two teams could meet in the postseason soon.

Playoff Lines

The Golden Knights continue to experiment with their line combinations, trying to find something that will stick for the upcoming playoffs. As we mentioned earlier, Cassidy has shuffled up his lines once more in an attempt to find a healthy rotation. 

Playoff Goalies

On that same note, the Golden Knights are still trying to find an established starter for the playoffs. Despite the revenge narrative with Jonathan Quick playing against his former team, Laurent Brossoit will start again. He's the current frontrunner to be the team's starter, with Quick struggling and Adin Hill, Logan Thompson, Jiri Patera, and Robin Lehner all injured.

Projected Golden Knights Line Combinations

Pavel Dorofeyev- Jack Eichel- Jonathan Marchessault

Michael Amadio- William Karlsson- Reilly Smith

Ivan Barbashev- Chandler Stephenson- Phil Kessel

Brett Howden- Teddy Blueger- Keegan Kolesar

Alec Martinez- Alex Pietrangelo

Ben Hutton- Nicolas Hague

Brayden McNabb- Zach Whitecloud

Laurent Brossoit/Jonathan Quick

Golden Knights Special Teams

PP1: Eichel, Dorofeyev, Stephenson, Roy, Pietrangelo

PP2: Barbashev, Smith, Karlsson, Marchessault, Hutton

PK1: Karlsson, Roy, McNabb, Pietrangelo

PK2: Blueger, Howden, Whitecloud, Martinez

IR/Scratches

Nolan Patrick, Robin Lehner/Mark Stone (c), Will Carrier, Adin Hill, Logan Thompson, Shea Theodore/Paul Cotter, Teddy Blueger, Brayden Pachal

Projected Kings Line Combinations

Quinton Byfield- Anze Kopitar (c)- Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore- Phillip Danault- Viktor Arvidsson

Alex Iafallo- Blake Lizotte- Arthur Kaliyev

Carl Grundstrom- Rasmus Kupari- Zach MacEwen

Vladislav Gavrikov- Drew Doughty

Sean Durzi- Matt Roy

Tobias Bjornfot- Sean Walker

Joonas Korpisalo/Pheonix Copley

Kings Special Teams

PP1- Iafallo, Kopitar, Arvidsson, Kempe, Doughty

PP2- Byfield, Danault, Moore, Durzi, Kaliyev

PK1- Kopitar, Moore, Gavrikov, Roy

PK2- Danault, Kupari, Bjornfot, Doughty

IR/Scratches

Jacob Ingham, Gabe Vilardi, Mikey Anderson, Kevin Fiala, Alex Edler/Blake Lizotte, Jaret Anderson-Dolan, Jordan Spence/Cal Petersen

How to Watch/Listen

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