Preseason Primer: Preparing for the Utah Hockey Club

When you leave the moniker, "Arizona Coyotes", and become the "Utah Hockey Club," plenty of people will pay attention. Armed with a new owner, new arena (finally!), and new perspective, the "expansion" club will put the entire NHL on notice. That includes the Vegas Golden Knights, who will face a fellow hockey team with that new car smell.

This tilt will take place at T-Mobile Arena on Friday. The action begins at 7:00 PM and will expose fans to the "new" team. Who will we see on the ice for the Hockey Club? Will the franchise announce their team names before the game? The suspense is killing hockey fans everywhere, especially in Las Vegas.

In the meantime, it's a good time to see how things are going on the Vegas side. First, Brendan Brisson has struggled during the preseason. It started with taking careless penalties, putting the Golden Knights in compromised positions. There's also him not keeping up with the NHL pace of play, where he's struggling to read plays and skate. All this will indicate another season with the Henderson Silver Knights, where he'll hone his craft further.

What else should Golden Knights fans know about heading into Friday's preseason tilt with Utah? What other things will excite the fanbase as we get one step closer to hockey? It's the third game of the preseason, meaning that October 9 is around the corner. Let's dive into the basics for the match against the Hockey Club.

What fans should know for the Vegas Golden Knights against the Utah Hockey Club

First, the Vegas Golden Knights will become familiar with how the Utah Hockey Club operates after ditching the "Arizona Coyotes" name. The Hockey Club seems to have adopted more of a defensive approach, acquiring players such as Mikhail Sergachev and John Marino. The Golden Knights will counteract with a larger team focused on creating turnovers and beating them in transition.

How will Vegas handle Utah's blue-line pressure? Will they make them work tirelessly to retrieve the puck by forcing them to fetch it in their defensive zone? It's been a tried-and-true strategy for Bruce Cassidy at certain times, where he hasn't shied away from tiring out his opponents. It could also make the Golden Knights successful in the upcoming season.

Let's steer away from the Hockey Club for a second and focus on at-home questions. Who moves closer to grabbing a roster spot for Vegas? Will it be Zach Aston-Reese, whose focus is on being a physical force? Will Tanner Pearson take the spot and continue his renaissance? Or will Tanner Laczynski continue to impress the franchise with his improved offensive acumen? Only time will tell with tonight being a good indicator of what's to come.

Also, who will be the next players cut? Will we see Brisson sent down for more seasoning in the next wave? As mentioned, the former first-round pick hasn't been stellar in the preseason, indicating he'll need more development time. Other names to watch include Mathieu Cataford and Matyas Sapovaliv, who could impress in the preseason.

Will Knighttime Plus work this time?

Another major concern regarding the Vegas Golden Knights has been the viewing experience. That's right. Watching the Golden Knights play preseason hockey has been a disaster during the preseason. First, some fans (namely in the Henderson area) were initially shut out from watching the San Jose Sharks game. Then there was streaming issues in the Los Angeles Kings tilt, specifically on Noah Hanifin's goal.

Will Vegas fix these problems before the preseason match against the Utah Hockey Club? Or will the feed look like it's made for an Arizona Coyotes game? Will these issues continue into the regular season, frustrating the Golden Knights faithful? The frustration is as strong as finding out there's only one beer left in the fridge.

Whatever the case, another installment of Vegas hockey will happen tonight. Fans will have the radio to turn to if the app goes on the fritz again, where Dan D'Uva will wait with open arms. Tonight's game will also start the first chapter in a new regional rivalry between Vegas and Utah, bringing hockey to the mountains.