Golden Knights Gameday 1: Show Starter: Lines and Notes vs Kings

Holy moly, sweet mother of God. The NHL hockey season is back!

I’m beyond excited to provide Vegas Golden Knights coverage in person this season. But I’ll have to wait until Thursday for the in-person part as the Golden Knights (0-0-0, 0 points) play the Los Angeles Kings (0-0-0, 0 points) at 7:00 on the road Thursday to start the season.

Bruce Cassidy, Phil Kessel, and potentially Adin Hill will make their Golden Knights debuts. Paul Cotter, who made the team out of camp, will play in his eighth NHL game. Logan Thompson is expected to start in goal. Mark Stone, Reilly Smith, Jack Eichel, Alec Martinez, and others look to rebound from injuries.

And most importantly, the Golden Knights will embark on a quest to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing the postseason for the first time in team history last season.

With it being the first game of the season, here’s an abundance of things to keep an eye on.

What to Watch For

Overall Systems– Tonight’s game will be our first true look at Bruce Cassidy’s team and how he will utilize certain players on the Golden Knight’s roster. Keep an eye on the team’s new defensive zone structures, the powerplay, and play through the neutral zone on both offense and defense.

Logan’s Net– With Robin Lehner injured, Logan Thompson has stepped up as the Golden Knight’s starting goaltender. Will he be able to carry the workload in his second true season in the NHL?

Stone’s Status– The overall health of captain Mark Stone will have a big impact on the success of the Golden Knights this year. Coming off of back surgery, Stone will look to reestablish himself as a top winger in the NHL and one of the best two-way forwards in the game.

How’s Howden?– Elevated to a top-six role, the speedy Brett Howden gets a shot at a breakout season with the Golden Knights.

Calling Cotter– Paul Cotter fought hard to carve out a roster spot in training camp. Now can he continue his strong play and make a name for himself in the NHL?

Projected Vegas Golden Knights Line Combinations

Reilly Smith- Jack Eichel- Phil Kessel

Brett Howden- Chandler Stephenson- Mark Stone (c)

Jonathan Marchessault- William Karlsson- Michael Amadio

Paul Cotter- Nicolas Roy- Keegan Kolesar

Alec Martinez- Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb- Shea Theodore

Ben Hutton- Zach Whitecloud

Logan Thompson/Adin Hill

Vegas Golden Knights Special Teams

0% Powerplay (NA) and 0% Penalty Kill (NA)

PP1: Stone, Eichel, Stephenson, Smith, Theodore

PP2: Roy, Karlsson, Marchessault, Kessel, Pietrangelo

PK1: Roy, Stephenson, McNabb, Pietrangelo

PK2: Karlsson, Smith, Martinez, Whitecloud

IR/Scratches

Nicolas Hague, Jake Leschyshyn/Will Carrier, Laurent Brossoit/Robin Lehner, Nolan Patrick, Shea Weber

Projected LA Kings Line Combinations

Kevin Fiala- Anze Kopitar (c)- Adrian Kempe

Trevor Moore- Phillip Danault- Viktor Arvidsson

Alex Iafallo- Quinton Byfield- Gabe Vilardi

Brendan Lemieux- Blake Lizotte- Arthur Kaliyev

Mikey Anderson- Drew Doughty

Sean Durzi- Matt Roy

Alex Edler- Sean Walker

Jonathan Quick/Cal Petersen

LA Kings Special Teams

0% Powerplay (NA) and 0% Penalty Kill (NA)

PP1- Iafallo, Kopitar, Kempe, Fiala, Doughty

PP2- Arvidsson, Vilardi, Byfield, Kaliyev, Durzi

PK1- Kopitar, Iafallo, Anderson, Doughty

PK2- Danault, Kempe, Walker, Roy

IR/Scratches

None

How to Watch/Listen

7:00 pm on AT&T Sportsnet, ESPN, ESPN+, and Fox Sports 98.9 FM Radio.