TEAM COMPARISONS
Thursday’s win in Utah wasn’t pretty, but it didn’t need to be. The Canadiens made their chances count, buckled down in the third, and gutted out a road victory — their first time this month stringing together back-to-back wins. It couldn’t have come at a better moment either, with the team rolling into Vegas to open a pair of 1:00 p.m. local starts against two of the West’s top heavyweights.
T-Mobile Arena hasn’t exactly been friendly territory for Montreal, but the Habs have managed to claw out points in three of their last four visits. On Friday, they’ll aim to make it four in five before heading to Denver to close out the trip.
The Golden Knights have picked up points in 18 of their 23 games this season — but eight of those have come from overtime or shootout losses, the most in the NHL. Despite the rollercoaster, Vegas still sits tied for first in the Pacific Division with 28 points.
It hasn’t been smooth sailing lately, though. Bruce Cassidy’s group is 3-2-5 over its last 10 and comes into Friday on a three-game skid. Looking to pounce on a team searching for traction, the Canadiens will aim to keep Mark Stone quiet in just his second game back from injury, contain marquee summer addition Mitch Marner, and slow down the rest of the Golden Knights in a rare afternoon matchup.
SEASON SERIES
Nov. 28 @ VGK:
Jan. 27 vs. VGK:
PLAYERS TO WATCH FOR
Nick Suzuki took over Wednesday night’s game in Utah, and if the Canadiens hope to win today, they’ll need their captain to show up in a big way once more. With 26 points in 22 appearances, Suzuki is on pace is a career-high 96 points this year.
Jack Eichel has been a consistent weapon for the Golden Knights. With 31 points in 23 games this season, the 29-year-old sits tied for fifth in the NHL in that department.
BY THE NUMBERS: HABS-KNIGHTS
Here’s how the Canadiens and Golden Knights match up by the numbers: