Vegas Golden Knights: Five must-watch games in January
Happy New Year! January 2020 is now upon us, as is a new Decade, which means that we have another batch of Vegas Golden Knights games to look forward to.
We are officially at the midway point of the 2019-20 regular season and the Vegas Golden Knights enjoyed a superb December, going an impressive 9-4-2.
Sitting atop the Pacific Division, the Golden Knights will be hoping for a similar run this month as they look to build some momentum and really take control of their division.
It won’t be easy, though. Although the Knights only have 10 games on the slate in January, compared to 15 in December, and no back-to-backs, there will be some tough games to navigate.
The Golden Knights start the new Decade with a matchup against the Philadelphia Flyers on Thursday, who are 22-13-5 and they earned a 6-2 win against Vegas on Oct. 21.
A tilt against the reigning Stanley Cup champions in the St. Louis Blues then follows on Saturday, before facing the Pittsburgh Penguins who have stayed alive in the playoff race despite being without Sidney Crosby for much of the year.
Oh, and Crosby could be back by this time next week by the way.
After concluding the homestand with games against the LA Kings and the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Golden Knights will then hit the road for the rest of January.
In total, the Knights will play five games on the road before and that isn’t even including the three games they have on the road to begin February with either.
All in all, it is going to be another huge month for the Vegas Golden Knights and we have picked out the five games we are most looking forward to seeing in January…
1. 01/2 Vs. Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers and Gritty will be heading to Sin City for the opening game of the Decade for the Vegas Golden Knights.
It will be a tough matchup too given that the Flyers have emerged as contenders under Head Coach Alain Vigneault, who has a habit of getting the best out of teams that are teetering on the brink of contendership.
And, under Vigneault, the Flyers resemble the name of their famous and lovable mascot in the fact that they are gritty and tough to play against.
They boast talent up and down the lineup and they have an exciting young core led by the likes of goaltender Carter Hart and forward Travis Konecny, who was recently announced as an All-Star.
In addition to the above, the Flyers also get sizable contributions from their blueline, which has recorded six goals and 13 points in their last six games and they also led all NHL teams in the month of December with 12 goals in 13 games.
Their power play has also been red hot as of late, operating at a clip of 29.1% and recording a goal in five of their last six games.
Overall, the Philadelphia Flyers can hurt you in many different ways and they will pose the Vegas Golden Knights with a tricky start to the New Year.
2. 01/4 Vs. St. Louis Blues
Stanley Cup hangover, what Stanley Cup hangover?
The St. Louis Blues have put last year’s incredible success behind them already and they are intent on winning back-to-back championships.
Currently first in both the Central Division and in the Western Conference, the Blues are on a roll right now and they are clearly one of the best teams in hockey.
So, what should the Golden Knights be afraid of?
Well, put simply, a lot.
The St. Louis Blues boast a plethora of strengths and they epitomize the saying “death by a thousand cuts.”
By that we mean the Blues can beat you in a ton of different ways and they are also a throwback to hockey of old in that they are a physical team that can really beat up on you.
But they also boast a bucketload of skill and speed and they are led in points by a former Golden Knight in David Perron, who is carving out a career year with 16 goals and 24 assists for 40 points through 41 games.
This is going to be the toughest matchup of the month for the Vegas Golden Knights, who will use this game as a litmus test to see exactly how far they have come over the last month or so.
3. 01/7 Vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins were one of the teams of the last Decade given that they went out and won three Stanley Cups.
And, because they have largely still the same core in place, you wouldn’t bet against them winning at least one more before the likes of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin call it a day.
Well, it is fair to say that the Penguins have been given a scary glimpse of what life would be like without their two franchise leaders given that both have missed time this year.
Crosby has missed most of the regular season so far but, despite his absence, the Penguins have kept rolling and they won seven out of eight outings to finish 2019.
They are keeping pace with the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders in the Metro Division and, to cap it off, Crosby has been back on the ice and is closing in on a return.
He could be back by the time these two teams meet and that will make an already stiff test even tougher for the Vegas Golden Knights.
4. 01/14 @ Buffalo Sabres
Jack Eichel has long found himself in the shadow of Connor McDavid with both players drafted in 2015.
However, and while McDavid continues to dominate the NHL, Eichel has elevated his game to a different level this year and he’s firmly in the conversation for the Hart Trophy.
Through 40 games, Eichel has tallied 25 goals and 28 assists for 53 points with 16 points on the power play.
In other words, he has been sensational for the Sabres who are all of a sudden looking like a playoff team under new Head Coach Ralph Krueger.
They have slid a little bit in what is an ultra-competitive Atlantic Division, but they are still alive and will be relying on Eichel to help end their lengthy postseason drought, which dates back to the 2010-11 season.
Buffalo have also had sizeable contributions from rookie Victor Olofsson who has 34 points (16 goals, 18 assists) in 41 games, and he’s a legitimate contender for the Calder Trophy.
This will be the first game of a long eight-game road trip for the Vegas Golden Knights, which will really test the mental strength of this team.
They will fancy their chances in Buffalo but will have to be careful against a Sabres team who will be desperate to win in order to keep their postseason hopes alive.
5. 01/21 @ Boston Bruins
Like the St. Louis Blues, the Boston Bruins haven’t really suffered from their cup run last year and they have been tearing up the NHL this year.
Although they have cooled off somewhat of late, they are still leading the Atlantic Division and they look primed to make another deep postseason run.
Boston has a little bit of everything – speed, skill, size, firepower and very good goaltending and they are finding ways to win this season.
They are of course spearheaded by one of the best lines in all of hockey in Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron and David Pastrnak which is rolling again, despite Bergeron missing time.
Pastrnak in particular has been lights out with 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists) through 41 games, while Brad Marchand also has 59 points (20 goals, 39 assists) and is proving yet again that he’s more than just a pest.
The Bruins get contributions from up and down the lineup and they are said to be in the market for a top six forward, so expect to get them even better as the regular season rolls on.
Golden Knights look to create more history in 2020s. dark. Next
And, perhaps most importantly, they can rely on a goaltending tandem featuring Tuukka Rask who is 15-4-5 with a 2.31 Goals Against Average and a .923 Save Percentage this season, while Jaroslav Halak is 9-3-5 with a 2.20 GAA and a .930 Sv%.
The Boston Bruins are a genuine Stanley Cup contender yet again and this will be a real litmus test for the Vegas Golden Knights.