The Vegas Golden Knights face the Buffalo Sabres with both teams heading in opposite directions. The Golden Knights have a 12-2 record and with eight wins in a row, have the best record in the Western Conference. The Sabres have a 7-6 record but with three losses in a row, have fallen to the bottom of their division. The Golden Knights are looking to remain near the top of the Pacific Division while the Sabres look to make up ground in the Atlantic Division, making the upcoming game a crucial one for both teams.
The Golden Knights are having one of the best starts in the NHL with their offense stepping up and scoring 3.57 goals per game including 15 goals in the last three games. Jack Eichel, William Karlsson, and Reilly Smith have scored 17 goals and 22 assists to lead the top two lines but the rest of the offense has also looked great. Chandler Stephenson, Mark Stone, and Jonathan Marchessault have combined for 15 goals and 17 assists while defensemen Alex Pietrangelo and Shea Theodore have added three goals and 17 assists from the blue line to overwhelm opposing defenses.
Along with the offense playing great, the defense has also looked like one of the best in the league, allowing only 2.14 goals per game including only 19 goals in the last eight games. Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb have combined for 1.5 defensive point shares and 51 blocked shots to lead the top two pairings while Nicolas Hague, Zach Whitecloud, and Alex Pietrangelo have combined for 2.6 defensive point shares to add depth to the unit. In addition, goaltender Logan Thompson has been great in the net with a .930 save percentage and a 2.12 goals-against average on 272 shots.