The Vegas Golden Knights made their humble return home on Thursday, gearing up for a colossal Halloween matchup against the Colorado Avalanche. Oh, and it's also Nevada Day, too! Gotta get out of work early for that 1 PM PST start time, you know?
But that stretch isn't guaranteed to be successful. Aside from the Avalanche, you're facing the Detroit Red Wings and the Florida Panthers. Golden Knights fans are having traumatic flashbacks of last week's dud against the defending champions, watching their team go quietly into the Florida night. Isn't that a frightening thought?
But let's check out some notes from Thursday's practice, shall we? We need to see what's happening within the organization and make some general observations. That way, we can kick up our feet and hand out candy to the little kids while watching Golden Knights hockey.
Who's still out of commission for Vegas? Which lines should fans watch for during the stretch? Let's dive into some notes from today's practice and see what should catch the attention of Golden Knights fans.
The Vegas Golden Knights are still without key players
Mark Stone (wrist injury), Adin Hill (lower-body injury), Noah Hanifin (lower-body injury), and Colton Sissons (undisclosed) were all absent from Thursday's practice. Hanifin won't play against the Avalanche, but is getting closer to returning for Vegas.
None of the injured players (Hill, Stone, Hanifin, Sissons) have returned to practice today.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) October 30, 2025
Forward lines looked like this...
Barbashev-Eichel-Holtz⁰Dorofeyev-Hertl-Marner⁰Saad-Karlsson-Smith⁰Reinhardt-Howden-Kolesar
The Golden Knights will continue being tested during the homestand, especially without key players like Stone. Can Vegas make necessary adjustments to combat the absences? Stay tuned.
The Marner-Dorofeyev-Hertl line continues to look good
It's no secret that Pavel Dorofeyev continues to impress Golden Knights fans. He has nine goals, which is tied for the NHL lead entering Thursday's slate of games. However, that momentum has carried over thanks to Marner joining him.
That was evident on Thursday in the latter half of drills, where Hertl and Marner set up a perfect scoring opportunity on the weak side. Dorofeyev cashed it in near the goaltender and delighted the crowd. That should bode well for the upcoming home stretch.
Alexander Holtz has a big opportunity to break through
Bruce Cassidy put an interesting player on the top unit this week. The goal was to spark him into scoring points and making him into a fundamental piece. The name? Alexander Holtz.
Holtz still doesn't have a point this season, but not for a lack of trying. On Tuesday, he had five shots on goal, his highest total on the year. The bump-up could be what the doctor ordered for the Swedish winger, specifically if he wants to stay long-term.