The Golden Knights open a season-long, five-game homestand Wednesday against the Utah Mammoth in a rematch of last season's first-round playoff series, which Vegas won in six games. The Knights (12-5-2) return to T-Mobile Arena after a successful four-game East Coast road trip where they earned seven of a possible eight points.
Coach Ryan Craig and defenseman Shea Theodore both warned against a potential letdown in the first home game back. "Definitely a back-and-forth series," Theodore said. "They're a great team. A lot of young skill that can make you pay on mistakes. We're going to have to be ready." Craig added he expects "high energy" and "lots of skill" from the Mammoth.
Utah (10-7-1) enters with the NHL's ninth-best scoring offense, led by captain Clayton Keller's 24 points and center Logan Cooley's team-high 11 goals. The 22-year-old Cooley recorded two goals and three points in last spring's playoff series, the first in the franchise's history.
Vegas will be without defenseman Noah Hanifin, who suffered an upper-body injury Sunday in Buffalo and is listed as week-to-week. Parker Wotherspoon is nearing a return after missing the past month with an upper-body injury; he was a full-contact participant at practice Tuesday and skated in Hanifin's spot alongside Dylan Coghlan.
The Knights' road success was built on goaltending and special teams. Adin Hill and Carter Hart combined to allow just six goals over the four games, while the penalty kill went 14-for-15. Forward Brett Howden said the team wants to bring the consistency they found late in the trip back home: "Our team game got better. A more consistent game."
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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