On November 2, the Utah Hockey Club was up 2-0, against the Vegas Golden Knights. It took two quick second-period goals from Pavel Dorofeyev and Noah Hanifin (a buzzer-beater) to contribute to the comeback victory for the Golden Knights. Brett Howden got the game-winner in overtime in that session.
Two weeks later, it's the same scenario. The "Hockey Club" is up 2-0 in the second period before Tomas Hertl responds with two unanswered power play goals. Then, William Karlsson scores two goals of his own and the Golden Knights walk out of Salt Lake City with two points as a team.
These two teams will face off against each other on Saturday, marking a contest for the start, middle, and ending of November. The "Hockey Club" hopes to salvage one win in the season series, while the Golden Knights want to sweep the series. The venue? T-Mobile Arena, where those same Golden Knights are 9-2-0 this season.
They feel good about themselves heading into the matchup, winning four of their last five games. Still, they've earned nine points in that stretch and just knocked off the Winnipeg Jets on Friday, 4-3. Mind you, the Jets have the most points in the NHL with 36.
So how will the game go down? Will the Golden Knights complete the series sweep? Or will the "Hockey Club" salvage a game and head back to Salt Lake City with a win in the season series?
Predicting the Vegas Golden Knights and Utah Hockey Club
The Utah Hockey Club jumped out to a respectable early lead in both games. They started the game fast and pounced on early opportunities to catch the Vegas Golden Knights off-balance. However, the Golden Knights eventually wore their road adversaries down, who committed costly penalties. The result was two key victories for the Golden Knights.
Part of that is the overall discipline. The Golden Knights are tied for the fewest penalties in 2024-25 with 60 (the Islanders also have 60). As for Utah? They have the second-most behind the Boston Bruins with 107.
The second game saw Bruce Cassidy's team draw significant penalties, bringing out the power play unit (third in the NHL entering Saturday with a 29.3% success rate). Both times saw Tomas Hertl convert, leading the Golden Knights to victory.
That will come into play again on Saturday. If the "Hockey Club" jumps out to an early lead as they have in the first two games, expect Jack Eichel and company to draw penalties. Here, they can take advantage of their newfound power play unit and swing the momentum in their favor.
Considering the Golden Knights have played excellent hockey despite missing players like Mark Stone and Zach Whitecloud, Saturday's game should provide an easier contest (at least, on paper). Utah is a "middle-of-the-pack" team who wears down as the game progresses. That was evident on Friday as the Edmonton Oilers erased a 2-0 deficit to steal two points.
The Golden Knights should win this game, 5-3, as a result. They're playing much better hockey despite the wave of injuries. There could also be an appearance by Victor Olofsson in tonight's game as he inches closer to returning from a lower-body injury. Who knows? They might come back from another 2-0 deficit to send the T-Mobile Arena crowd happy.