Vegas Golden Knights: Three keys to beating the Coyotes on the road

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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 05: Phil Kessel #81 of the Arizona Coyotes reacts after having his shot blocked during a game against the Boston Bruins at Gila River Arena on October 05, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images) /

The Vegas Golden Knights start a stretch of three Pacific Division matchups in four days on the road against the Arizona Coyotes tonight – 7:00 p.m. PT.

It is a vital stretch of games for the Vegas Golden Knights who have already won two divisional contests this year after beating up on the San Jose Sharks in the opening two games of the 2019-20 NHL regular season.

They did suffer their first loss of the year on Tuesday after going down 4-3 to the Boston Bruins at T-Mobile Arena, but they now have a golden opportunity to pick up some huge wins and get a headstart in the Pacific Division.

But it won’t be easy. The Arizona Coyotes, although they are currently sitting at 0-2-0, have played well enough in their opening two games of the year and their game is based on hard work, structure and a solid defense.

The Coyotes do boast some potent offensive threats too, namely elite forward Phil Kessel who was acquired in a blockbuster off-season trade from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Clayton Keller has the potential to morph into a consistent 60-70 point scorer, while captain Oliver Ekman-Larsson is an absolute horse on the blueline.

It will be an intriguing matchup and we have picked out three keys for the Vegas Golden Knights when it comes to returning home with the W…

GLENDALE, ARIZONA – OCTOBER 05: Phil Kessel #81 of the Arizona Coyotes skates up ice against the Boston Bruins at Gila River Arena on October 05, 2019 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images) /

1. Shut down Phil Kessel

Phil “The Thrill” Kessel is one of the best pure snipers in the NHL and he has amassed 824 points in 998 career NHL regular season games, including 357 goals and he’s also a winner having clinched two Stanley Cups while with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

He boasts a wicked release and he’s also elite on breakaways, and there is no doubt that Kessel would make every team in the NHL better.

And, although he only has one point (one assist) through two games to start the year, Kessel is building chemistry with Clayton Keller and Derek Stepan, and that top line will pop before too long.

As a result, the Golden Knights are going to have to pay close attention to Kessel tonight and make sure he’s not left in prime real estate either in 5-on-5 situations or on the power play, because we all know how lethal the wing’s one-timer is.

He hasn’t dipped below the 50-point plateau since 2007-08 and there is no doubt that Kessel will probably achieve at least 60 or 70 points again this year. He’s one of the elite scorers in the NHL and he could wreak serious havoc tonight if the Vegas blueline has another shaky night.

Which leads us onto…

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