The Vegas Golden Knights struggled on the road early this season, going 0-3-1 in October while getting outscored 18-11. The first of those road losses came against the Washington Capitals, a 4-2 decision back on Oct. 15.
It was a surprising turn of events after a dominant 3-0-0 start that saw the Golden Knights outscore their opponents 15-8.
Just over a month later, the Golden Knights are set to wrap up their season series against Washington Sunday night at T-Mobile Arena following a successful two-game road trip in Anaheim and Utah.
Vegas has improved to 3-3-2 on the road with a 3-0-1 mark in November and is 11-4-2 on the year.
The Golden Knights’ perfect 8-0-0 home start was spoiled by a 5-2 loss at the hands of the Hurricanes last week, but Vegas will look to get back in the win column as former Golden Knights netminder Logan Thompson returns to town.
Thompson started the year 7-0-0 and was less than two minutes away from his eighth straight win when the Capitals botched an empty-net bid to seal the win against Toronto and then took an unnecessary cross-checking penalty in the final minute of regulation. The Maple Leafs tied the game just five seconds into the man-advantage and eventually won it on a John Tavares breakaway in overtime.
If not for Nic Dowd’s retaliatory penalty, Thompson would be undefeated. Even so, he is 7-0-1 with a 2.71 goals-against average and .906 save percentage with his new team, and he will be eager to get the best of his former team as he returns to Vegas for the first time since getting traded this summer.
Thompson was shipped to Washington on the second day of the NHL Entry Draft in exchange for two third-round draft picks after requesting a trade. He wanted a chance to be the No. 1 goalie, and while he is involved in a timeshare with Charlie Lindgren, he has been solid so far.
The 11-4-1 Capitals have been a surprise through the first six weeks of the 2024-25 season. The team made even more offseason changes to its roster than Vegas, though the player-led skating sessions/practices a month before training camp seem to have given the new group a head start on a fresh season.
The first, second and fourth lines for the Capitals have been clicking for most of the year after an early-season tweak by second-year bench boss Spencer Carbury. The Caps made a trade earlier this week to address the hole at center on the third line, acquiring former Capitals center Lars Eller from the Penguins; Eller played well on Friday in his first game in his second stint with Washington.
Eller centers the third line between Jakub Vrana — also in his second stint with Washington after signing a PTO in the offseason — and Andrew Mangiapane, who was acquired from Calgary for a fifth-round draft pick.
The Capitals are coming off an impressive defensive effort in a 5-2 win against Colorado. Washington limited Colorado to 19 shots on goal and held Nathan MacKinnon without a shot on goal for the first time in 79 games.
Connor McMichael leads the team with 12 goals, two of which came against the Avs; McMichael is tied with Leon Draisaitl for the league lead in even-strength goals with 11. Alex Ovechkin has 10 goals as he continues his historic chase of Wayne Gretzky’s goals record (he is 32 goals away); Ovechkin is second on the team in goals as well as points (20), trailing linemate Dylan Strome (24), who is tied for third in the NHL in even-strength points (19).
Washington’s biggest weakness — and it’s not close — has been its power play, which scored the other night in Colorado but has been abysmal for most of the year. It may not rank 32nd anymore, but it’s still converting on only 13.7 percent of its chances, which is good for 29th. The Capitals have just seven power-play goals on 51 attempts.
By contrast, the Golden Knights have more than twice as many goals (16) in five fewer attempts (46), giving them a success rate of 34.8 percent, good for second overall.
That is largely thanks to Tomas Hertl, who has not only transformed Vegas’ man-advantage but who is tied for first in the NHL with six power-play strikes, two of which came in Friday’s win in Utah.
Jack Eichel may not have a goal on the power play, but he is tied for third in the NHL with 11 power-play points, all assists. Eichel is also fourth overall in league scoring with 27 points and second in assists with 22.
The Capitals’ fourth-ranked penalty kill has been much more effective, killing off 42 of 49 opposing power plays (85.7 percent) while adding two shorthanded tallies. Vegas sits at 15th (80.6 percent) but has been shorthanded only 36 times.
Neither club has struggled to light the lamp this season, ranking first and second overall in goals per game. Washington has had the slight edge, averaging 4.19 compared to Vegas’ 4.12. The Capitals are 11th in goals against with an average of 2.88 per game, while Vegas is tied for 13th with 3.06.
Though Ilya Samsonov has returned from injury and was back on the bench as the backup for Friday’s contest, it’s unclear if he’ll get the nod tonight against his former team. He is 3-1-1 with a 2.95 GAA and .906 save percentage. If not, Hill — who is now 8-3-1 with a 3.18 GAA and .886 save percentage — will be rewarded after his spectacular showing in Utah.
In the last meeting between these teams, the Golden Knights got goals from Victor Olofsson (recently placed on long-term injured reserve after getting injured later that game) and Eichel. The Capitals recorded four goals on 22 shots, with tallies from Vrana, Tom Wilson, Aliaksei Protas and Jakob Chychrun.
The Golden Knights went 1-1-0 against Washington in last year’s season series and are 9-4-0 in the all-time regular-season matchup.
