The Vegas Golden Knights will look to put an end to their three-game skid when they take on the San Jose Sharks tonight at SAP Center.
Vegas is coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings, a game in which they never trailed. That followed losses to Calgary (6-0) and Colorado (2-0), marking the first time in franchise history that the Knights were shut out in consecutive games.
They ended their shutout streak at 147:57 with a goal just over eight minutes into the first period the other night, but they were unable to hold onto the lead and ultimately fell in extra time.
Laurent Brossoit made his second straight start and third in four games, and while he is 1-1-1 in that time, he has played very well for the Knights and has given the team a chance to win every time. He is 9-4-3 with a 2.70 goals-against average, .903 save percentage and one shutout on the year.
He’ll likely go up against James Reimer, who is 3-1-0 all-time against the Golden Knights. Reimer is 13-10-4 with a 2.90 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and one shutout this season. He has split the workload with Adin Hill, but Hill is currently on injured reserve. Reimer has started the last seven games for San Jose.
The Sharks are 2-4-4 in their last 10 games and are 22-21-5 in the regular season; they trail Vegas by 11 points in the Pacific Division standings but have two games in hand.
One thing working in Vegas’ favor is the fact that this game is on the road.
The Knights have won just three home games in 2022, going 3-4-3 in 10 contests at T-Mobile Arena. Vegas is 14-11-3 at home but 14-7-1 on the road this season.
Another is the fact that Vegas has enjoyed great success against the Sharks over the years, losing in regulation just once in the 20-game regular-season series. The Knights hold an all-time record of 16-1-3 against San Jose.
Brent Burns leads the Sharks with 12 points in 20 games against the Knights; Logan Couture and Tomas Hertl each have 10, while Timo Meier has nine.
Not surprisingly, the Misfit Line leads all players with a combined 62 points. Jonathan Marchessault has 24 points, while William Karlsson has 20 and Reilly Smith has 18; Shea Theodore also has 18.
As for the 2021-22 season, Meier is well on his way to setting career highs; he currently has 23 goals and 50 points, both of which lead the Sharks.
Hertl is second on the team in scoring with 40 points, and Couture is third with 35. Burns and Erik Karlsson have 31 and 26, respectively, while rookie Jonathan Dahlen has 11 goals and 20 points in 43 games, good for ninth overall among rookies.
The Sharks’ power play ranks 19th and is operating at a 19.4 percent success rate, just short of Vegas’ (19.5 percent). San Jose’s penalty kill has been surprisingly effective at 84.6 percent, which ranks sixth overall. The Knights rank 17th on the penalty kill (79 percent).
San Jose averages just 2.69 goals per game, good for 23rd overall, and is 21st in goals against with an average of 3.10 per game. Vegas ranks 12th in scoring with an average of 3.22 goals per game and gives up an average of 2.96 goals per game, good for 18th overall.
This will be the first meeting between these clubs this season.
This game was originally scheduled for April 10 but was moved up as part of the NHL’s widespread schedule update after more than 100 games were postponed due to the pandemic.
How to watch
Time: 5 p.m.
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: Fox Sports 98.9 FM