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Vegas Golden Knights: Four incredibly tough games to navigate on road trip

By Andrew Steele-Davis |
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 08: Paul Stastny #26 of the Vegas Golden Knights faces off with Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins during the second period at T-Mobile Arena on October 08, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - OCTOBER 08: Paul Stastny #26 of the Vegas Golden Knights faces off with Patrice Bergeron #37 of the Boston Bruins during the second period at T-Mobile Arena on October 08, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by David Becker/NHLI via Getty Images)

Life on the road will become second nature for the Vegas Golden Knights who are about to begin an eight-game road trip.

After bringing the curtain down on a seven-game homestand, going 4-3-0, the Vegas Golden Knights will now hit the road for a lengthy and potentially season-defining eight-game swing, which starts against the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday.

This is a crucial and incredibly tough stretch for the Golden Knights, who are currently riding a three-game losing streak, and they can’t afford to lose ground in an ultra competitive Pacific Division.

Granted, the 2020 NHL All-Star Game will break up the road trip for the Knights, but they won’t return to T-Mobile Arena until Feb. 13, when they will take on the St. Louis Blues.

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Road trips can be beneficial for team bonding but this eight-game swing features a plethora of tough matchups for the Golden Knights.

And, as a result, we decided to take a look at the four toughest games the Vegas Golden Knights will face on the road…

Jan. 21, @ Boston Bruins

The Boston Bruins are one of the best teams in the modern-day NHL and they currently sit atop the entire National Hockey League.

Despite enduring a dip over Christmas, the Bruins have found their groove again and they are led by David Pastrnak, who leads the team in points with 65 (35 goals, 30 assists).

Boston is currently riding a three-game winning streak and they can kill you in many different ways, including by brute force given some of the big bodies they are able to boast on their roster.

Arguably one of the best top lines in all of hockey featuring Pastrnak, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand have combined for 165 points, and they also get contributions from their blueline too.

This will be a real litmus test for the Vegas Golden Knights, and they will have to execute their game plan to perfection in order to get the better of an elite hockey team.

RALEIGH, NC – JANUARY 11: Nino Niederreiter #21 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates back to the bench after scoring a goal during an NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings on January 11, 2020 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images)
RALEIGH, NC – JANUARY 11: Nino Niederreiter #21 of the Carolina Hurricanes skates back to the bench after scoring a goal during an NHL game against the Los Angeles Kings on January 11, 2020 at PNC Arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Gregg Forwerck/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Jan. 31, @ Carolina Hurricanes

Famous for the Storm Surge, the Carolina Hurricanes are also a pretty good hockey team and they are looking for a second consecutive trip to the postseason.

Boasting a young and uber-talented core led by the likes of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Teuvo Teravainen, the Canes can outscore any team and they can also outskill opponents by will.

The Canes are blessed with a bucketload of speed too, and the Golden Knights will have to try and shut down their most potent weapons.

NEWARK, NJ – JANUARY 12: Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) skates during the second period of the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 12, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEWARK, NJ – JANUARY 12: Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherov (86) skates during the second period of the National Hockey League game between the New Jersey Devils and the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 12, 2020 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Feb. 4, @ Tampa Bay Lightning

Prior to their loss to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday, the Tampa Bay Lightning had ripped off 10 consecutive wins and were playing their best hockey of the year.

After a slumping start to the regular season, the Lightning are beginning to hit their stride at just the right time and I still think they will be the team to beat in the postseason.

Boasting incredible depth up and down the lineup and one of the best defensemen in the game in Victor Hedman, not to mention a goalie who is hotting up in Andrei Vasilevskiy, the Lightning have an abundance of riches.

And, this could a potential preview to a mouthwatering and breathtaking playoff encounter between the two teams.

But, whatever happens, the matchup against a resurgent Tampa Bay team will be one of the toughest tests of this road trip for the Vegas Golden Knights.

SUNRISE, FL – JANUARY 12: Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the BB&T Center on January 12, 2020 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL – JANUARY 12: Aleksander Barkov #16 of the Florida Panthers celebrates his goal with teammates during the first period against the Toronto Maple Leafs at the BB&T Center on January 12, 2020 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images) /

Feb. 6, @ Florida Panthers

Battling in an incredibly stacked Atlantic Division, the Florida Panthers are fighting for their playoff lives and that alone will make this tilt a testing one for the Golden Knights.

Although Sergei Bobrovsky has yet to justify his hefty price tag with a 3.29 Goals Against Average and a .896 Save Percentage, the Panthers are led by their offense which leads the NHL in Goals For Per Game (3.62).

They have a number of offensive weapons, including Jonathan Huberdeau who leads the team in points with 61 (18 goals, 43 assists), while franchise center Aleksander Barkov has 14 goals and 35 assists for 49 points.

Dugan getting plenty of national love. dark. Next

Florida has the ability to drag you into a track meet and really beat up on you with their superior firepower, so the key to the Vegas Golden Knights winning this contest may just well be to light the lamp more than their opponents.

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