It is showdown time again for the Vegas Golden Knights who will be looking to inflict more misery on the San Jose Sharks tonight.
After beating the Sharks 4-1 on opening night at T-Mobile Arena, the Vegas Golden Knights play the second game of the home-and-home double-header at SAP Center later – 7:30 p.m. PT.
And the Knights will be hoping to secure another crucial divisional victory, thus improving to 2-0-0 and making it a hugely impressive start to the 2019-20 NHL regular season.
However, the Sharks will be baying for blood after losing to their bitter rivals on opening night and they will have the energy of the home crowd behind them, coupled with the return of stud defenseman Erik Karlsson to the lineup.
The Knights are going to have to be disciplined tonight while they will also have to make do without defenseman Nate Schmidt, who is week-to-week with a lower body injury and he joins Alex Tuch and Cody Eakin on the IR.
Tonight will be no easy task for the Vegas Golden Knights and we’ve picked out three keys to winning the game and improving to 2-0-0.
1. Staying cool in the heat of battle
As already mentioned, tonight is the home opener for the San Jose Sharks and there is sure to be an electric atmosphere at “The Shark Tank.”
So, as a result, the Golden Knights are going to have to adapt to their surroundings and tune out the raucous noise from the first drop of the puck and just focus on their game.
That is easier said than done, of course, but the Knights will have to avoid distractions if they are to head back home with another W in the bag.
And, another important factor in tonight’s game will be to remain disciplined at all times, and that could be the biggest key for both teams.
We know that these two franchises won’t be sending Christmas cards to each other and there was some chippiness between the teams in the season opener, but Vegas can’t afford to have players in the penalty box for things like roughing.
If the Vegas Golden Knights can shutdown from the outside noise, keep calm and cool heads and go about their business, then they will have a great chance to get the job done and improve to 2-0-0.