USA Today
Tonight, the Vegas Golden Knights (14-13-1) take on the defending Stanley Cup Champion Washington Capitals (15-8-3). These teams met in last year's Cup Final with Washington winning in five games. They also met early on this season, with Washington taking a decisive 5-2 decision at home.
Vegas is a much different team since their first meeting with the Capitals. Forward Alex Tuch was not yet in the lineup due to his injury and defenseman Nate Schmidt was still suspended. Tuch is actually the glaring omission from their last meeting due to the second line's current high level of play. Along with Cody Eakin and Max Pacioretty, Tuch's line is a threat to score each night.
Washington has been on fire lately, with a seven game win streak in their rear view window. A 6-5 home loss to Anaheim on Sunday ended that streak as they make the trip to Vegas. Similarly, the Golden Knights saw their win streak, of five games, end Saturday in Edmonton.
Tonight's game between two hot teams could come down to the goaltending. Caps goaltender Brayden Holtby sports modest numbers thus far, with a 2.94 GAA and .910 SV% in 19 games played. Those numbers are less than what you'd expect out of a goalie of Holtby's caliber. His likely opponent at the other end, Marc-Andre Fleury, owns a 2.38 GAA and .913 SV% in 24 games, with five shutouts already to his name (he had four in the 2017-18 season). Fleury has been strong for the Golden Knights, earning the NHL's Third Star of the Month for November.
Obviously, the Capitals have a high powered offense. Lead in scoring by the likes of Alex Ovechkin (19g, 13a), Nick Backstrom (10g, 23a), and Evgeny Kuznetsov (7g, 17a), the Capitals must be contained in the defensive zone. Vegas' best move is to utilize a strong forecheck and try to slow up the Washington attack in the neutral zone. When teams allow the Caps zone entry and an ability to set up their offense, Washington tends to win games.
Special teams has always been an important tool in the NHL. Washington has been a team that can directly attribute their recent success to their special teams. In last year's Cup Final, the Capitals overwhelmed the Golden Knights on the power play, led by Ovechkin and TJ Oshie in the faceoff circles. Although their penalty kill is third in the league at an 84.2% efficiency this season, the Golden Knights would be well served to keep the Capitals' power play off the ice, as it is operating at a clip of 27.7% (6th in NHL) and remains the Capitals bread and butter.
Tonight's contest gets underway at 7pm Pacific, a late start for the Capitals after a flight from the east coast. If the Golden Knights start the game out fast and get a quick goal or two, they may be able to get out of this one with two points. Both teams are looking to get back in the win column coming off of losses and tonight's game should provide plenty of excitement.
Be sure to tune in on AT&T Sportsnet or Fox Sports Radio 98.9 FM to catch the game. You can also follow me on Twitter (@VGK_Buzz) by clicking the button below, for in-game discussion, observations, and analysis.