LAS VEGAS – It’s a quick stop at home for the Vegas Golden Knights as they take on the Washington Capitals at 5 p.m. Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.
After the game, the Golden Knights will play six consecutive road games, starting in Toronto on Wednesday.
“It’s good to break it up [a road trip],” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “This set up well to get a game or two in between is OK. We just got to take advantage of it.”
Golden Knights Lineup Update
The Golden Knights are expected to go 11-7 once again but probably won’t experiment too much with the lines, considering it didn’t work out too well against Utah.
That said, Vegas aims to start better by correcting some of its early mistakes against Utah. The Golden Knights got better as the game progressed, offering a good teaching point for Cassidy and the coaching staff.
“We weren’t very good to start, but got better as it ended,” Cassidy said. “This one, they were more prepared than we were out of the gate. Then we found our game. Then we took over the game in the third period. Those games are good when you win. I don’t like to learn lessons from losing. You do, but no moral victories from me in those areas. You have to take the positive in how it ended.”
About the Capitals
The Capitals enter the game off a 5-2 victory against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday.
They average 4.19 goals per game and allow 2.88.
“High-scoring team, so they’re winning games by scoring goals,” Cassidy said. “But they’re not deficient at the other end. Their goals against are solid, too. It tells me they’re playing well at both ends.”
The Capitals’ weakness is the power play, which ranks 29th in the NHL. Their penalty kill, however, is much better, ranking fourth.
“They’re executing at a high level, offensively,” Cassidy said. “Defensively, they’re working hard as a unit to keep the puck out of their net. So there’s your record. You score and don’t get scored on, and you’ll win a lot of hockey games.”
Logan Thompson is expected to start in net for the Capitals, marking his return to T-Mobile Arena since being traded in the offseason. Thompson won 56 games in 103 games for Vegas in four seasons with the team.
Three takeaways from the Golden Knights as they fight their way to victory
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
