Vegas Golden Knights Vs: Winnipeg Jets: Date, Time, TV, More
Tonight marks the start of a big five-game road trip for the Vegas Golden Knights, who take on the Winnipeg Jets at Bell MTS Place.
After shutting out the New Jersey Devils at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday, the Vegas Golden Knights will look to continue to tighten their grip on the Pacific Division by beating the Jets tonight.
Through 68 games, the Golden Knights (37-23-8) are two points ahead of the Edmonton Oilers and five points in-front of the Calgary Flames as we head down the stretch.
With things as tight and congested as they are at the top of the Pacific, every game is crucial and the Knights could continue to build some momentum on this three-game swing through Canada.
More from Vegas Hockey Knight
- The moment the Vegas Golden Knights have been waiting for
- 3 Golden Knights players deserving of the Conn Smythe Trophy
- If Golden Knights win Stanley Cup, who should Mark Stone pass it to first?
- Why are Vegas Golden Knights fans obsessed with flamingos?
- Just one more game for Golden Knight supremacy
The Knights have won nine of their last 10 outings and they appear to have found their groove under Head Coach Peter DeBoer, peaking at just the right time.
It won’t be easy against the Winnipeg Jets (34-28-6), however, who are currently scrapping for their lives when it comes to making the postseason.
Despite having their blueline decimated in the off-season after losing the likes of Jacob Trouba, Ben Chiarot and Dustin Byfuglien, the Jets have remained competitive.
Currently sixth in the Central Division, the Jets are on the outside looking in although they are within touching distance of the wild-card.
They beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-1 on Tuesday and Winnipeg could keep the heat on the Nashville Predators and the Minnesota Wild with a win tonight.
Connor Hellebuyck will start in net for the Winnipeg Jets tonight, while forward Mathieu Perreault will be back in the lineup after missing 16 games with an upper-body injury.
Tonight will also see the Golden Knights reunited with Cody Eakin, who was acquired by the Jets in February for a 2021 conditional Fourth-Round pick.
In five games with Winnipeg, Eakin has recorded one assist while averaging 14:21 of ice time per game.
Eakin of course knows the system the Golden Knights play well, so he will no doubt try to help his new team shut that down tonight.
And the Golden Knights will have to watch out for Mark Scheifele who leads the Jets in points with 71 (28 goals, 43 assists), while Kyle Connor is just behind Scheifele with 35 goals and 35 assists for 70 points.
Winnipeg Captain Blake Wheeler has recorded 21 goals and 40 assists for 61 points in 68 games, and stud forward Patrik Laine has 26 goals and 33 assists for 59 points in 65 games.
The Jets rank 19th in the National Hockey League in Goals For Per Game (2.96), while they allow an average of 2.90 Goals Against Per Game, ranked 12th in the league.
In terms of special teams, Winnipeg rank 16th on the power play (19.9) and 23rd on the penalty kill (77.1), so they have a lot of work to do in that department.
Final note on the Jets, they have won four straight at home and are now 18-14-3 on home ice on the year, including 7-2-1 in their past 10 home games.
For the Vegas Golden Knights, Marc-Andre Fleury will get the start in net tonight while Mark Stone (lower-body) remains week-to-week and Alex Tuch (lower-body) is still day-to-day.
Head-To-Head
The Vegas Golden Knights and the Winnipeg Jets have done battle on one occasion this year, with the Jets emerging as 4-3 victors in overtime at T-Mobile Arena on Nov. 1.
The two teams will also meet once more this season, again in Winnipeg, on Mar. 29.
Projected Lineups
Let’s look at today’s Starting Lineups, per nhl.com…
Vegas Golden Knights
Jonathan Marchessault – Paul Stastny – Reilly Smith
Max Pacioretty – William Karlsson – Nicolas Roy
Chandler Stephenson – Nick Cousins – Brandon Pirri
William Carrier – Tomas Nosek – Ryan Reaves
Marc-Andre Fleury
Scratched: Deryk Engelland, Jon Merrill
Injured: Mark Stone (lower body), Alex Tuch (lower body)
Winnipeg Jets
Kyle Connor – Mark Scheifele – Blake Wheeler
Nikolaj Ehlers – Cody Eakin – Patrik Laine
Jansen Harkins – Andrew Copp – Jack Roslovic
Mathieu Perreault – Nicholas Shore – Mason Appleton
Nathan Beaulieu – Tucker Poolman
Connor Hellebuyck
Scratched: Logan Shaw, Anthony Bitetto, Gabriel Bourque
Injured: Mark Letestu (upper body), Bryan Little (upper body), Carl Dahlstrom (upper body), Adam Lowry (upper body), Luca Sbisa (upper body), Sami Niku (lower body).
Game Info
Here is all the essential information you need to know prior to faceoff…
Time: 5:00 p.m. PT
Where: Bell MTS Place – Winnipeg
TV Broadcast: AT&T Sportsnet
Radio: FOX Sports 98.9/1340
Live Streaming: ESPN+ has a free 7-day trial that includes live streaming for this game on all your smart devices! Besides NHL games, ESPN+ features a selection of live games from MLB, MLS, Serie A, FA Cup, and EFL. Get in on the action with Live UFC Fight Nights, 30+ Top Rank Boxing cards, Grand Slam tennis from Wimbledon, US Open and Australian Open.
Next. Lehner heroics shines light on Vegas' biggest strength. dark
Finishing Off
This is a huge game for the Vegas Golden Knights who face five games on the road, including this three-game swing in Canada.
They face a momentous back-to-back set against the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday and Monday respectively, and these three games could really be defining for the Golden Knights.