Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy addresses the media after morning skate on Thursday LAS VEGAS -- The Golden Knights sat second in the NHL with 39 points on Dec. 6. Heading into Thursday night's game with the Vancouver Canucks, the Knights are alone in fifth, behind Washington and Minnesota - both with 44 - and New Jersey (45) and Winnipeg (47). If Vegas wants to make a run for the top spot, with seven of their next eight games at home, it'll need better production on home ice. The Golden Knights opened the 2024-25 campaign with eight straight wins, outscoring guests by 3.0 goals per win (5.38 to 2.38). Since then, during a 3-3 stretch in Vegas, the Knights rank dead last with 2.00 goals per home game and have been outscored 3.50 during the same span. Overall, Vegas is tied with two others as one of the second-highest-scoring teams at home, averaging 3.93 goals per game while ranking 10th in the league in allowing 2.86 goals per contest. Vegas (20-8-3) opens a three-game homestand Thursday night with the Canucks, followed by visits from Seattle and Anaheim before visiting San Jose on Dec. 27. The Knights then have a very favorable four-game homestand when they return, hosting Calgary, Montreal, Philadelphia and Buffalo. "We'll see, you gotta play the games," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said of his team's upcoming slate. "We started the year great at home and then we kind of let it slip a little bit. But this is a stretch where we can re-establish ourselves." The Golden Knights will take the ice Thursday without top-line forward Ivan Barbashev and also forward Nic Roy. The Canucks arrive in Vegas after losing in overtime to the Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City on Wednesday night. "They're probably unhappy they left a point on the table," "They're gonna look at it like this is an important game, they were the division leaders last year, we're at the top now, so it should be one of those rivalries that ca be developed like we've started to see with Edmonton.
