Noah Hanifin and Anthony Mantha will make Vegas debuts in game against first-place Vancouver.
Noah Hanifin and Anthony Mantha will be making their debuts for the Vegas Golden Knights against the first-place Vancouver Canucks tonight at T-Mobile Arena.
The Golden Knights (33-22-7) have lost three games in a row and hold the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the West.
"If it doesn't go our way early on for whatever reason, we've got to get to our game in a hurry," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "…Get out of those funks quickly and get yourself back in the game before you give the other team too much confidence."
Hanifin was acquired from the Calgary Flames for Daniil Miromanov, a first-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft, and a conditional third-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft. The Flames also retained 50 percent of Hanifin’s salary. Philadelphia received a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft from Vegas for retaining 25 percent of Hanifin's salary.
“It happened fast. I got a call from my agent and I knew they were involved. Then an hour later, I was traded here,” Hanifin said. “My first reaction was just excitement. Obviously, they’re Stanley Cup champions here. They know how to win. It’s an unbelievable organization to be a part of. I’m just excited to come in and help.”
Hanifin played in 61 games for Calgary with 36 points (11 goals and 25 assists), and will be paired alongside Alex Pietrangelo as the top D-pair.
“(Hanifin) is a pretty good player who knows the West very well. He plays in all situations. He played against top players. He’s a nice add for us,” Cassidy said. “Noah is going to play on the power play, on the penalty kill. He’s going to step up with ‘Petro’ for now.”
Mantha will play on the second line with William Karlsson and Chandler Stephenson.
The Golden Knights acquired Mantha for a 2024 second-round pick and a fourth-round pick in 2026.
He's scored 34 points (20 goals, 14 assists).
“They came to get me to get me to bring some offense,” Mantha said. “I’ve been shooting the puck. No lie. The last couple of years I tended to stay away from it. This year I had to let it go, and it’s been working out for me.”
Here are the projected line:
Canucks projected lineup
Forwards
Ilya Mikheyev - J.T. Miller - Brock Boeser
Nils Hoglander - Elias Pettersson - Pius Suter
Vasily Podkolzin - Elias Lindholm - Conor Garland
Phillip Di Giuseppe - Teddy Blueger - Sam Lafferty
Defensemen
Quinn Hughes - Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy - Ian Cole
Nikita Zadorov - Noah Juulsen
Goalies
Thatcher Demko
Casey DeSmith
Golden Knights projected lineup
Forwards
Ivan Barbashev - Jack Eichel - Jonathan Marchessault
Chandler Stephenson – William Karlsson - Anthony Mantha
Paul Cotter – Nicolas Roy - Michael Amadio
Mason Morelli – Byron Froese - Keegan Kolesar
Defensemen
Noah Hanifin - Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb - Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague - Zach Whitecloud
Goalies
Adin Hill
Logan Thompson
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