The Vegas Golden Knights are hoping their residency in the New York-New Jersey area continues to run smoothly.
On Sunday, the Golden Knights take their only trip of the season to the heart of the Big Apple, taking on the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden.
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Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
Date: Sunday, December 7
Time: 4:00 pm PST
How To Watch: ESPN+, SCRIPPS
Radio: 1340 AM, 101 ESPN (101.1 FM)
The first game of the longest road trip of the season got off to the best start imaginable for the Golden Knights, shutting out the New Jersey Devils 3-0 on Friday. The Golden Knights hope for more of the same in this second leg of the five-game trip, transitioning an inconsistent November into a much stronger December.
Here is how the Golden Knights can keep their perfect start to the East Coast swing going.
Surprise rest advantage
It is rare that a team traveling from a different part of the country has the edge in terms of rest, but the schedule makers gave an early Christmas present to the Golden Knights.
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For the first three games of the road trip, the Golden Knights have the luxury of staying in the same hotel and not having to bounce around from place to place. Meanwhile, the Rangers are coming off a 3-2 overtime loss in their last game to the Colorado Avalanche. As a result, the Golden Knights might end up being the team that has more in the tank, which will be crucial if this game heads down to the wire again.
Rust in net
With Igor Shesterkin playing against the Avalanche, the Rangers will likely turn to Jonathan Quick to take on his former team.
A three-time Stanley Cup champion (including in his lone stint with the Golden Knights), Quick has done rather well with a 1.69 goals against average and .944 save percentage. However, he has also not played since Nov. 22 after suffering a lower body injury. Whether the Golden Knights turn to Akira Schmid again or decide Carter Hart is healthy enough to play, the team in front of them would do well to give them some run support.
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Win the special teams battle
For the Golden Knights to get an early advantage against the Rangers, the special teams will play a pivotal role.
Since an injury to power play quarterback Adam Fox, the Rangers have struggled on the power play, going 0-for-8 in their last three games. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights hit two power play goals from Tomas Hertl and Ivan Barbashev to close the door on the Devils in their last game. Should the Rangers get into penalty trouble, the Golden Knights can use that momentum to put themselves in an equally favorable situation.
