The two newest franchises in the NHL take center stage on its marquee event.
While Vegas Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said it’s not one of 82 and that the environment was different from a normal regular season game. Once the puck drops, the attention turns to earning two points against the Seattel Kraken on Monday at T-Mobile Park.
“It's another game. The venue is a little different,” Vegas forward Jack Eichel said. “We got more family and friends here. At the end of the day, hockey’s hockey.”
The Golden Knights (22-10-5) come into the game, having lost four of their last five. The positive, however, is that they picked up a much-needed 3-2 victory against the Los Angeles Kings on Dec. 28.
Eichel leads the team with 40 points, while captain Mark Stone has a six-game point streak going (eight points – two goals, six assists).
Seattle (14-14-9) comes into game one of the hottest teams in the NHL, having tallied a point in eight consecutive games.
They have won four straight and will look to earn only their second victory against the Golden Knights.
“There’s still two points up for grabs here, and it’s a divisional game,” Eichel said. “I expect to be as competitive as a regular season game. Every time you go on the ice, there’s something you’re playing for.”
For Eichel, the ability to play outdoors is what he called the “purest form of the game” and he looks forward to the opportunity to take the ice with his teammtes.
"It’s really cool. The whole experience is great. Being outside, it’s just a great opportunity for our entire team to enjoy an experience like this,” he said. “When you start playing outside, you get different uniforms on. You get some eye black. I’m sure it brings back a lot of memories.”
SEATTLE KRAKEN PROJECTED LINES
Forwards
Tomas Tatar – Matty Beniers – Jordan Eberle
Jared McCann – Alex Wennberg – Brandon Tanev
Eeli Tolvanen – Yanni Gourde – Oliver Bjorkstrand
Andrew Burakovsky – Tye Kartye – Kailer Yamamoto
Defensemen
Vince Dunn – Adam Larsson
Jamie Oleksiak – Wiliam Borgen
Brian Dumoulin – Justin Schultz
Goalies
Joey Daccord
Chris Driedger
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS PROJECTED LINES
Forwards
Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Mark Stone
Paul Cotter – William Karlsson – Jonathan Marchessault
Brett Howden – Chandler Stephenson – Michael Amadio
William Carrier – Nicolas Roy – Keegan Kolesar
Defensemen
Alec Martinez – Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden Pachal – Brayden McNabb
Nicoals Hague – Zach Whitecloud
Goalies
Logan Thompson
Jiri Patera