The Vegas Golden Knights are losers in four of their last five games and will take on a New York Islanders team that has won seven of their last eight.
The Golden Knights stretch of bad games has gone on for an extended period of time and something needs to happen to fix their issues. Last season they went through a similar slump that carried into the playoffs, dropping them from second in the Pacific Division into a wild-card spot. If things aren’t turned around quickly, a similar result could be forthcoming.
The Islanders are on the complete opposite spectrum of the Golden Knights. For most of the season, they have dealt with inconsistencies and extended periods of poor play. Their recent hot streak has brought them within four points of the final wild card spot but they just received bad news. Mathew Barzal will be out indefinitely and despite not being ruled out for the rest of the season, does not have a timetable for a return.
Defenseman Scott Mayfield is currently sidelined with an injury as well, joining a list of Noah Dobson, Ryan Pulock and Mike Reilly of blue liners out with an injury. Semyon Varlamov has been out since Dec. 3 but Ilya Sorokin has stepped up in a major way.
The 29-year-old netminder was named the first star of the week after posting three wins, including a shutout, a .953 SV% and a 1.33 GAA. Adin Hill started Sunday’s affair against the New York Rangers but with a two-day break in between, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Hill in between the pipes once again.
Today’s game is one of the final three games before the 4 Nations Face-Off break and the Golden Knights need to approach it with a level of desperation to ensure they pick up the two points.
Puck drop is at 4:00 P.M. PST at UBS Arena.
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