A road matchup against the winless Arizona Coyotes (0-2-0, 7th Pacific) presents the Vegas Golden Knights (2-1-0, 3rd Pacific) with an opportunity to put their first loss of the season in the rearview mirror. Tuesday evening's loss to the Boston Bruins (3-0-0) saw the Golden Knights fall victim to bad puck management and high-end offensive talent.
Darcy Kuemper has been a great fit with the Coyotes (USA Today Sports)
A tilt with the division-rival Coyotes presents its own challenges, including a goaltending duo who have shown they can hang with the best of them. Both Darcy Kuemper (0-2-0, 1.54 GAA, .945 SV%) and Antii Raanta (2018-19: 5-6-0, 2.88 GAA, .906 SV%) give the Coyotes two solid options in net, facing the Golden Knights' high-powered offense. Kuemper had a huge 2018-19 season in relief of the injured Raanta and has seemingly secured the 1A role on the team.
Phil Kessel is one of the newest members of the Coyotes, acquired in a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins this past offseason. He brings elite scoring ability to a team that tends to go into stretches where goal-scoring is at a premium. He should also give their atrocious power play a boost, while concurrently raising the play of the up-and-coming superstar, Clayton Keller. Kessel is the prestige player the Coyotes needed. The offense of Kessel added to the Coyotes' perfect penalty kill will start paying off for the Coyotes, sooner rather than later.
Phil Kessel is the biggest name in Arizona (USA Today Sports)
In the visitor's locker room is one of the best top-six forward groups in the entire NHL. Vegas' top two lines have wreaked havoc on the opposition, namely the Sharks, but were even able to put three goals up on the elite Tukka Rask. Mark Stone, the biggest name of the group, has three straight multi-point efforts and rookie Cody Glass has already recorded his first NHL goal and assist.
Previous Three Games:
Vegas:
10/2 vs San Jose: W, 4-1
10/4 @ San Jose: W, 5-1
10/8 vs Boston: L, 4-3
Arizona:
10/3 @ Anaheim: L, 2-1
10/5 vs Boston: L, 1-0
Key Players:
Vegas:
Mark Stone, RW
Shea Theodore, D
Arizona:
Phil Kessel, RW
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D
Advanced Stats (5-on-5):
Vegas:
Corsi For %: 51.18%
xGoals For %: 56.33%
Scoring Chances For %: 58.02%
High Danger Chances For %: 61.22%
Arizona:
Corsi For %: 50.88%
xGoals For %: 56.50%
Scoring Chances For %: 54.13%
High Danger Chances For %: 58.82%
The Golden Knights are the deeper team of the two, but will once again be without defenseman Nate Schmidt (knee). Additionally, Head Coach Gerard Gallant shared that a minor injury is hindering William Karlsson's ability to take faceoffs, with Jonathan Marchessault filling the role as the left winger. Stone and Max Pacioretty have done a great job playing with and mentoring their rookie center (Glass) and that line could be a real difference-maker in this game. Both Stone and Glass are solid in all three zones, with Pacioretty serving as a great goal-scoring winger at the other end.
It's hard to think of a more complete player than Mark Stone (USA Today Sports)
Arizona is having trouble putting pucks in the net, but they are getting good chances. Their team is making a concerted effort to get to the front of the net, making it tough on goalies. Their first two opponents remain undefeated, so there's no reason for the Golden Knights to sleep on the Coyotes. Tonight's contest should be a fast, competitive game, between two teams hungry for a win, to right the ship.
Gerard Gallant confirms that Malcolm Subban will start in net for #VegasBorn vs Arizona. No other lineup changes expected.
Golden Knights Projected Lineup:
Karlsson - Marchessault - Smith
Pacioretty - Glass - Stone
Pirri - Stastny - Zykov
Carrier - Nosek - Reaves
Merrill - Holden
McNabb - Theodore
Hague - Engelland
Subban
Prediction:
VGKPredictions: Arizona, while they are improved, can't compete with the Golden Knights' forward depth. They're solid all-around, but Vegas has more scoring options. The #Yotes will utilize their speed. Bad for Vegas' D. Coyotes win 3-2 JP on the Season: 1-2 #VegasBorn
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