The Golden Knights scored four goals in the first period en route to a dominant 6-3 drubbing of the Canucks on April 2 in Las Vegas.
Vancouver Canucks vs. Vegas Golden Knights
When/where: Thursday, 7 p.m., T-Mobile Arena
TV: SN Pacific. Radio: Sportsnet 650
The buzz: There’s always a lot to see and savour in Sin City.
Facing the Golden Knights is always a test and the entertainment value is matching skill and will with the high-octane Pacific Division leading club. The Canucks experienced elation and deflation at T-Mobile Arena last season — a solid 3-1 triumph on March 7 and a 6-3 drubbing on April 2 — to split the four-game series.
Cranbrook native Bowen Byram, a former WHL star with the Vancouver Giants, is supposedly the latest target as the 30th-ranked Buffalo Sabres, who were pummelled 6-1 in Montreal on Tuesday, are expected to shake up a roster that’s winless in the last 10 games (0-7-3).
However, it would have to happen soon. The NHL roster freeze starts at midnight Thursday and ends Dec. 27.
Meanwhile, Golden Knights defenceman Noah Hanifin had four shots in the Canucks’ last trip to Vegas. He wired a one-timer off a feed from Jack Eichel, who had seven shots and nine attempts, to provide a 4-1 cushion.
Alex Pietrangelo and Braden McNabb also figured in setting up goals as the back end combined for seven shots and 11 attempts.
Aldergrove native Shea Theodore, who pushes the Vegas pace and and had a trio of three-assist efforts last season, was held in check April 2. That was something but not nearly enough.
“We had our moments in the second and third, but obviously that first (period) put us behind the eight-ball,” summed up Tocchet.
“Not a good start,” added Hughes. “Everybody has to look inward here.”
It’s the perfect prelude to Thursday. The Canucks have started slower than an old lawn mower on home ice and their road dominance through the first 13 games (10-2-1) was more about resolve. They scored the first goal on just six of those games.
“Protecting the guts of the ice is something we’re not as good at as last year,” warned Tocchet. “We have to figure that out.”
The hope: The Canucks’ penalty kill continues to gain traction after a perfect 4-for-4 showing against the Avalanche on Monday to improve to 13th overall at an 80.2 per cent efficiency rate.
The fear: Starting slow. The Golden Knights are 10-1-3 when scoring first and 11-1-0 when up after two periods. However, they will be without injured leading goal scorer Ivan Barbashev. Ten of his team-high 15 goals have come at T-Mobile Arena.
The top guns: The eyes of the NHL world are suddenly fixated on feisty winger Kiefer Sherwood, who notched his first career hat-trick on Monday during an impressive victory over the Avalanche. He had seven shots, three hits and a blocked shot.a
The projected lineup:
Di Giuseppe-Miller-Boeser
DeBrusk-Pettersson-Garland
Heinen-Suter-Sherwood
Joshua-Blueger-Hoglander
Hughes-Myers
Soucy-Juulsen
Brannstrom-Desharnais
Lankinen
The prediction: The Canucks revert to better special-teams play and keep the league’s fourth-rated power play in check. Demko is the difference in 3-2 win.