The Vegas Golden Knights have parlayed a 22-3-2 mark against Western Conference competition and a 17-4-0 home record into the top spot in the NHL standings with 59 points.
But one of the few blemishes for Bruce Cassidy’s squad at the halfway mark of the season has been a so-so 6-6-1 record against Eastern Conference opponents. The Golden Knights will get a chance to improve on that mark during a three-game homestand that kicks off with a contest against the New York Islanders on Thursday night in Las Vegas.
Vegas will also host the New York Rangers on Saturday before returning to Western Conference competition on Sunday with a game against the Minnesota Wild.
The Golden Knights bring a three-game winning streak into the contest with the Islanders and have won nine of their last 10 games. Vegas is 17-3-1 over its last 21 games dating back to Nov. 21, allowing two goals or less in 15 of them.
Captain Mark Stone scored his 100th goal in 300 games with the Golden Knights and had an assist to help lead Vegas to a 4-2 win at San Jose on Tuesday to complete a three-game regular-season series sweep of the Sharks. Defenseman Shea Theodore dished off two assists, Ilya Samsonov made 19 saves to win his sixth straight start and Zach Whitecloud, Victor Olofsson and Tomas Hertl also scored goals as Vegas improved to 27-5-2 all-time against San Jose.
“I think we’ve been finding ways to score, we’ve been playing the right way,” Theodore said. “It starts in the D-zone, and I feel like when that happens, more times than not, we are going to be on the good end of it.”
The Islanders head into the game on the opposite end of the spectrum, occupying last place in the Metropolitan Division with just 37 points. However, in the tightly bunched Eastern Conference, New York is just five points behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for the final wild-card spot. Nine teams are separated by seven points for the last playoff berth.
“It’s crazy how jammed up it’s been,” center Brock Nelson told The Hockey News. “It feels like it’s been a little bit of an odd year, but halfway through it, we still think we can get on a run and string four or five games together. Then, all of a sudden, the picture looks a little different.”
Islanders coach Patrick Roy has been encouraged by his team’s play during a 2-3-0 stretch that includes two one-goal losses and was most recently saw New York pick up a 5-4 overtime victory at Boston on Sunday.
“I feel like we played four very good games in our last five,” Roy said. “That consistency is what we’re looking for, and having that mindset to be hungry. We need to go there and be hungry and do whatever it takes to win that hockey game in Las Vegas.”
“We just got to worry about one game at a time,” Nelson added. “We got a big win in Boston. We want to follow it up. It’s a tough place to play in Vegas, and obviously one of the best (teams) in the league. … Each game is crucial for us, just knowing how tight the Eastern Conference is.”
The Islanders finish their three-game road trip Saturday with a game against the Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City before opening a seven-game homestand against Ottawa on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
