The Vegas Golden Knights take on the struggling New Jersey Devils tonight and there are a flurry of storylines to watch out for.
After opening this three-game road trip with a dominant win against the New York Rangers on Monday, the Vegas Golden Knights now cross the Hudson River to take on the Devils.
And there has been an interesting twist ahead of faceoff after New Jersey announced that they had fired Head Coach John Hynes, naming Alain Nasreddine as their Interim Head Coach.
That just adds to the intrigue surrounding tonight’s matchup which is multi-layered, and we’ve picked out some storylines to watch out for…
Storyline 1 – New Coach, fresh start?
So, this news literally broke less than an hour ago but there will be a new man behind the bench for the New Jersey Devils tonight after the franchise fired Head Coach John Hynes.
Alain Nasreddine has taken over as Interim Head Coach, while Peter Horachek, a Pro Scout for the franchise, will join the coaching staff as an assistant under Nasreddine.
The Devils have only won two of their last seven outings and were spanked 7-1 by the Buffalo Sabres on Monday, so could a new face behind the bench inspire a quick turnaround?
It is unlikely that Nasreddine will have any time to tinker with any systems or new line combinations for tonight’s game, but certain players could be motivated to go out and put on a show against the Golden Knights in order to impress the new coach.
Storyline 2 – Return of the Gus
This is the one we’ve all been waiting for. The Golden Knights traded Russian stud Nikita Gusev to the New Jersey Devils in the off-season because of a cap crunch, and it wasn’t a decision that went down well with the Vegas fanbase.
Despite being on a bad team, Gusev has done okay with the Devils and he has contributed five goals and seven assists for 12 points in 23 games.
He’s been getting some time on the power play and there is no doubt that he’ll be extra motivated to show the Knights what they are missing out on.
Let’s just hope he doesn’t score otherwise Twitter will go into meltdown.
Storyline 3 – Battle of the Subbans
It has just been confirmed that Malcolm Subban will get his fifth straight start tonight, and it makes sense for the Knights to ride the hot hand.
Subban has played a key role in the Golden Knights winning four straight, and he stopped 29 of 30 shots against the New York Rangers on Monday.
And, Subban starting means that he will go up against his older brother P.K. who will be on the blueline for the New Jersey Devils.
P.K. has struggled to get going with the Devils since being acquired in a trade from the Nashville Predators during the off-season, and he has just five points (two goals, three assists) in 26 games this season.
However, it is always fun to see two brothers go against each other and you can bet good money that P.K. will be looking to let rip with some slap shots from the point against his younger brother tonight.
Plus, it will also be the second sibling matchup in as many nights after Reilly Smith went up against older brother, Brendan on Monday.
Storyline 4 – No Hughes?
Jack Hughes is a generational talent and was taken by the New Jersey Devils with the No.1 overall pick at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
However, the Golden Knights may have to wait until they see Hughes up close and personal with the rookie questionable for tonight’s game.
Hughes has missed the last two outings with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot against the Montreal Canadiens last week, and it will be a shame not to see the No.1 pick in action as you want to see exciting young talent on the ice.
Storyline 5 – Debut for Stephenson
While the Vegas Golden Knights were beating the New York Rangers on Monday, the front office were busy working the phones.
Because, shortly after the Knights had won their third straight game, it was announced that the franchise had sent a fifth round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft to the Washington Capitals in exchange for forward Chandler Stephenson.
Stephenson is a gritty bottom six forward who brings raw speed to the table, while he’s one of the best penalty killers in the NHL.
And the 25-year-old, who was a key part of the Capitals team that beat the Knights in the 2017-18 Stanley Cup Final in 2017-18, will make his Vegas debut tonight on the fourth line between Tomas Nosek and Ryan Reaves.
It will be fascinating to see what Stephenson brings to the lineup and his speed will certainly be an asset on that fourth line.
Storyline 6 – Special teams battle
The New Jersey Devils are ranked 28th on the power play (13.4), including going 0-for-8 against the New York Rangers on Saturday, and 23rd on the penalty kill (76.5).
In contrast, the Vegas Golden Knights have the 7th best power play in the NHL (22.8), and the 4th best penalty kill (85.6).
And, as we saw on Monday, you live and die by your special teams in this league so if the Knights can execute on both the power play and on the penalty kill, then that will give them the best chance of going 2-for-2 on this road trip so far.