Game day: Golden Knights face Devils, look to end Eastern Conference struggles

The Vegas Golden Knights are looking to change their fortunes against New York metropolitan competition. They are in New Jersey to face the Devils at 4 p.m. today.

The Golden Knights have lost both of their season series to the Rangers and Islanders, failing to earn a point in any of the four games.

Against the Islanders, they were outscored 5-1 and had goaltender Ilya Sorokin stop 63 of 64 combined shots.

Vegas has struggled all season against Eastern Conference teams, with a 7-12-2 record. On the road, the Golden Knights are 3-6-1, and are on a four-game losing streak.

If the Golden Knights lose tonight, it would be their longest losing streak of the season and the longest since they lost five straight in 2022. Vegas has been close to victory over this skid, losing three of its last four by a single goal.

Brandon Saad quickly made an impact after signing with the Golden Knights on Jan. 31, scoring his first goal with Vegas against the Islanders. It was also his first point in eight games.

Injuries are beginning to flare up for the Golden Knights. William Karlsson has missed the last eight games, and Cole Schwindt has been out for the last nine. Tanner Pearson will miss his second straight game.

Jonas Rondbjerg has been called up from Henderson. Raphael Lavoie returns after missing the last game due to illness. 

New Jersey, one of the top teams in the Metropolitan Division, has struggled recently.

On Sunday, the Devils lost to the Buffalo Sabres, the worst team in the conference, 4-3. On Tuesday, they had to go to a shootout with Pittsburgh, another team in the bottom three of the Eastern Conference, and won 3-2.

The Devils are without their captain and one of their top scorers, Nico Hischier, who has missed the last five games with an upper-body injury.

Jacob Markstrom, the Devils top goalie, has missed the last seven games due to a knee injury.

Nico Daws will pick up his second start of the season. He started in Tuesday's game against Pittsburgh, making 25 saves on 27 shots for the win. 

Players to watch

Golden Knights: Jack Eichel (center) 53 games played, 18 goals, 48 assists, 66 points; Mark Stone (forward) 40 games played, 13 goals, 34 assists, 47 points; Shea Theodore (defense) 53 games played, 6 goals, 39 assists, 45 points.

New Jersey: Jack Hughes (center) 55 games played, 23 goals, 40 assists, 63 points; Jesper Bratt (forward) 55 games played, 16 goals, 45 assists, 61 points; Timo Meier (forward) 54 games played, 15 goals, 22 assists, 37 points.

Non-active players

Golden Knights: Cole Schwindt (lower body), William Karlsson (lower body), Tanner Pearson (undisclosed), Raphael Lavoie (illness) 

New Jersey: Nico Hischier (upper body), Jacob Markstrom (knee), Jonas Siegenthaler (undisclosed), Santeri Hatakka (shoulder) 

How to watch

TV: Scripps Sports (Cox Communications, channel 34). KnightTime+ (streaming)

Betting line

Golden Knights  -115 New Jersey -105. Over/under 5.5 (-110/-110) 

Who is in goal

Golden Knights: Adin Hill - 33 games played, 19-10-4 record, 2.69 goals against average, .900 save percentage, 2 shutouts. 

New Jersey: Nico Daws - 1 game played, 1-0-0 record, 1.43 goals against average, .941 save percentage.