NEWYEAR STARTS AGAINST RIVAL LA KINGS
Tuesday, Jan. 1, vs. Los Angeles Kings: The NHL generally uses New Year’s Day to showcase some of its best matchups — particularly the Winter Classic, which is played at an outdoor stadium. This year, the Blackhawks and Bruins will face off in Notre Dame Stadium, but there will be another marquee game in Las Vegas. The Golden Knights will host their rivals from Southern California after sweeping them in the first round of the playoffs.
Saturday, Jan. 19, vs. Pittsburgh Penguins: It doesn’t hold the same significance as last season, when Marc-andre Fleury faced his former team for the first time, but this is still one of the best matchups of the season. The Penguins’ high-powered offense fueled by Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin will try to solve their long-time teammate in net, and both teams should be near the top of the standings at this point.
Thursday, Feb. 14, vs. Toronto Maple Leafs: What better way to spend Valentines Day than watching the Golden Knights host one of the most exciting teams entering the 201819 season. Toronto was already fun to watch with young centers Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. With the monster offseason acquisition of John Tavares, they are one of the favorites to win it all.
Saturday, Feb. 16, vs. Nashville Predators: The Predators should again be one of the top contenders in the Western Conference, making this mid-february showdown an important one. The Golden Knights swept Nashville last season, so the Predators should be hungry for their first win over the franchise. An added bonus is there is a chance Malcolm Subban could suit up in goal to face his brother and star defenseman P.K. Subban.
Friday, Feb. 22, vs. Winnipeg Jets: In late February, the Jets will travel to Las Vegas for a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals. The Golden Knights topped the Jets four straight times last May to eliminate Winnipeg from the postseason, and the Jets are expected to be even stronger this year. It’s also a bit of a reunion for newly signed center Paul Stastny, who played for the Jets during last year’s run before signing with Vegas this offseason.
Thursday, April 4, vs. Arizona Coyotes: The Golden Knights wrap up their home schedule on April 4 with a Pacific Division matchup against the Arizona Coyotes. There are a slew of reasons why this game should be a blast to attend, from possible playoff ramifications to end-of-season giveaways, including the players giving their gameworn jerseys to selected fans.