Exactly six years after the emotional first home game in franchise history, the Vegas Golden Knights will raise the franchise’s first Stanley Cup banner to the rafters. It will join the banner of 58 stars commemorating the 58 lives lost in the Oct. 1 tragedy, and it will hang alongside Vegas’ three Pacific Division and two Western Conference champions banners.
Tonight will be a special evening for the Golden Knights, their fanbase and the city of Las Vegas.
But once the puck drops, the Golden Knights will have a title to defend. They will embark on their journey to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions, and their first test will be a matchup against the Seattle Kraken tonight at T-Mobile Arena.
Almost the entire roster will return for Year 7, with the main exception being Original Misfit Reilly Smith, who was traded to Pittsburgh in the offseason for salary cap purposes.
In his absence, William Karlsson and Jack Eichel will share an “A” as alternate captains; Karlsson will wear it at home, while Eichel will wear it on the road. Both played significant roles in the Golden Knights’ championship run; alternate captain Alex Pietrangelo and captain Mark Stone will continue to wear the “A” and “C,” respectively.
The opening night roster is set, and the lines will look very similar to those that were used on June 13 when the Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers in a 9-3 rout to clinch the first Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Aside from being without Smith, the Golden Knights have two injuries on the back end, as both Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud are on injured reserve and will not be in the lineup for tonight’s home opener. Robin Lehner will remain on long-term injured reserve and is out indefinitely.
After a four-man battle in training camp, Paul Cotter earned the only open spot on the roster and will skate on the third line with Karlsson and Michael Amadio, though Pavel Dorofeyev also made the team. Max Comtois was released from his PTO, and Brendan Brisson was assigned to Henderson.
This is the second home opener between the two latest expansion clubs, and the NHL has not been shy about trying to establish and build a rivalry between them.
The Golden Knights and Kraken finished the 2022-23 regular season with a home-and-home; Vegas won both games to clinch the Western Conference, though Seattle went on to win its first playoff series in its second year after a disappointing inaugural campaign. Seattle took Dallas to seven games in the second round but fell one win short of facing the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final. However, the Kraken are ready to build on that experience and success as they enter their third season in the league.
The two clubs will square off in the Winter Classic on New Year’s Day in Seattle.
The Golden Knights are 7-1-0 against Seattle and are 5-1-0 in home openers.
The message ahead of tonight’s game was very reminiscent of the poised, steady and consistent attitude the Golden Knights exhibited throughout all of last season, and it starts with head coach Bruce Cassidy.
“You can’t help but be excited,” Cassidy said. “But once the puck drops, everyone starts at zero. We know that. Just trying to get yourself grounded. Getting to our game in a hurry will be our focus in the first period.”
Pietrangelo echoed those sentiments.
“Once the banner goes up, you enjoy that. It’s pretty cool; that thing will be up there forever. But then that switch will flip, because I don’t think the other team really cares. As soon as that puck drops, it’s a new season.”
Adin Hill will be in the crease for the Golden Knights’ home opener. He will look to carry over his play after a sensational 11-4 run in the playoffs where he managed a 2.17 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and two shutouts. Phillip Grubauer is expected to get the nod for Seattle, though the club has yet to confirm an official starter.
Projected lineups
Golden Knights
Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Jonathan Marchessault
Brett Howden – Chandler Stephenson – Mark Stone
Paul Cotter – William Karlsson – Michael Amadio
William Carrier – Nicolas Roy – Keegan Kolesar
Nicolas Hague – Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb – Shea Theodore
Ben Hutton – Brayden Pachal
Adin Hill
Logan Thompson
Kraken
Jared McCann – Matty Beniers – Jordan Eberle
Jaden Schwartz – Alex Wennberg – Andre Burakovsky
Eeli Tolvanen – Yanni Gourde – Oliver Bjorkstrand
Brandon Tanev – Pierre-Edouard Bellemare – Kailer Yamamoto
Vince Dunn – Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak – Will Borgen
Brian Dumoulin – Justin Schultz
Philllip Grubauer
Chris Driedger
How to watch
Game 1: Golden Knights vs. Kraken
When: 7:30 p.m. PT
Where: T-Mobile Arena – Las Vegas, NV
TV: ESPN, ESPN+
Radio: Fox Sports 98.9 FM