The Vegas Golden Knights (11-2-0, 22 points) have won seven games in a row, and are firing on all cylinders. The Toronto Maple Leafs (7-4-2, 16 points) have won three games in a row on the heels of having lost four games in a row, and will face a true test against the NHL’s top team from the Western Conference.
Vegas has scored 46 goals, has allowed 27 against, and currently tied for first in the league with a .846 points percentage. Toronto has scored 37 goals, allowed 34 against, and is 12th in the league with a .615 points percentage.
Tonight’s matchup is the second and final matchup between the two sides, as the Golden Knights were victorious 3-1 during October 24th’s contest at T-Mobile Arena.
From a head to head perspective, the Golden Knights and Maple Leafs have some similarities in terms of special teams, but overall Vegas has been a much better offensive team with the Maple Leafs not too far behind relatively in goals against.
A big x-factor of note for this game is goaltending, as injuries have resulted in Erik Kallgren being thrust into the starter’s net for Toronto, and it also resulted in Keith Petruzzeli signing an NHL deal to become the Maple Leafs’ backup. The Golden Knights are all too familiar with goaltending injuries, and thus far have been blessed with superior netminding from Logan Thompson and Adin Hill.
Here are some numbers of note for both teams, and how they compare in some key areas.
With those out of the way, here is a projected lineup for both sides.
Vegas Golden Knights
Chandler Stephenson — Jack Eichel — Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault — William Karlsson — Reilly Smith
Mike Amadio — Brett Howden — Phil Kessel
Will Carrier — Nicolas Roy — Keegan Kolesar
Alec Martinez — Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague — Zach Whitecloud
Logan Thompson
Toronto Maple Leafs
Michael Bunting — Auston Matthews — Mitch Marner
Alex Kerfoot — John Tavares — William Nylander
Nicholas Robertson — Pierre Engvall — Calle Jarnkrok
Zach Aston-Reese — David Kampf — Denis Malgin
T.J. Brodie — Justin Holl
Morgan Rielly — Timothy Liljegren
Mark Giordano — Rasmus Sandin
Erik Kallgren
Feel free to use this as an open thread to discuss the game.