Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin will make his 700th career NHL game when he takes the ice against the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday at Wells Fargo Center.
Hanifin, in his first full season with the Golden Knights, scored 65 goals with 232 assists in his 10 NHL seasons.
“He’s calm out there. He’s got good composure. He doesn’t get rattled and plays a lot of minutes for us. Plays in all situations. I think he knows what he is,’ Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s a guy that can really use his feet to help him in many areas of the game. … He wants to initiate. I like that about Noah. Every play, he wants to be involved. He wants to make something happen. You got to be careful with that when your feet are that good that you don’t chase the game. He’s done a good job letting the game come to him most nights.”
About the Flyers
The Flyers come into the game off a 3-2 overtime victory on Nov. 23 against the Chicago Blackhawks. Philadelphia is 9-10-2 on the season.
“They’re more grinder [team]. They work really hard,” Golden Knights forward Tomas Hertl said. “They don’t leave any pucks behind. It’ll definitely be a tough game. They’re more straightforward: forecheck hard and grind it.”
The Flyers are a gritty team that will attempt to clog the shooting lanes and block shots. Cassidy said the team has to be aware of this and not get frustrated when shots are going through.
“They’re a hard-working team. They’re a team that works hard to block shots. The preparation today is you got to create your shooting lanes,” Cassidy said. “You got to hang around the front of the net. There are going to be opportunities. You’re going to get frustrated because they do a good job.”
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
