GAME THREAD 9/82: Vancouver Canucks at Vegas Golden Knights

The Golden Knights welcome the Vancouver Canucks to town tonight for what will be Vegas’ second taste of the Pacific Division this season.

Alex Tuch is set to make his season debut and will skate on Vegas’ second line with Max Pacioretty and Erik Haula. Fresh off signing a seven-year extension, Tuch should add a much-needed injection of offense to the second line, especially with Paul Stastny out of commission.

Vancouver (5-4-0) will be without Elias Pettersson, who will miss at least one more game with a concussion; sniper Brock Boeser is listed as a game-time decision. UPDATE: Boeser will NOT play tonight.

A few players to watch tonight for Vancouver include former Golden Knight Brendan Leipsic, who will skate on the first line and first power-play unit if Boeser is unable to go. Also, center Bo Horvat is riding a three-game point streak coming into tonight’s contest.

For Vegas (4-4-0), William Karlsson scored more points against Vancouver than he did against any other team last year, potting four goals and nine points in four games. Also, the entire Vegas blue line is on watch as not one Golden Knights defenseman has lit the lamp thus far this season.

With Tuch coming back, Ryan Carpenter is expected to serve as a healthy scratch, and it looks as though Tomas Hyka will remain in the mix.

Here are the projected lineups for both teams:

Golden Knights
Marchessault — Karlsson — Smith
Pacioretty — Haula — Tuch
Nosek — Eakin — Hyka
Carrier — Bellemare — Reaves

Theodore — Holden
McNabb — Miller
Merrill — Hunt

Fleury
Subban

Canucks
(assuming Boeser does not play)
Leipsic (#9) — Horvat (#53) — Eriksson (#21)
Baertschi (#47) — Gaudette (#88) — Virtanen (#18)
Roussel (#26) — Sutter (#20) — Motte (#64)
Schaller (#59) — Granlund (#60) — Goldobin (#77)

Edler (#23) — Tanev (#8)
Hutton (#27) — Gudbranson (#44)
Pouliot (#5) — Stecher (#51)

Markstrom (#25)
Nilsson (#31)

Let’s discuss!

Will a Golden Knights defenseman score a goal tonight?