Golden Knights try to continue their dominance over Seattle

As two of the newer franchises in the NHL, the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken should have some semblance of a rivalry.

But that isn’t the case, as the Golden Knights hold a lopsided 10-2-0 advantage in the all-time series.

The Golden Knights (9-3-1) look to maintain control of the series when the two teams play Friday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.

The game marks the first time Seattle forward Chandler Stephenson will play against the Golden Knights since signing a seven-year, $43.75 million contract during free agency.

Stephenson has nine points this season with one goal and eight assists.

“I’ll forever be thankful for my time there. I got two beautiful kids from it. So it’s a good group of guys to win with. Those friendships carry on forever,” Stephenson said. “So it’s obviously different if we were in a better spot than we wanted to be in. We need to turn things around and get going. I’m focused on that. I just want to turn this around and turn it in the direction we want to be in.”

The Kraken (5-8-1) have lost four in a row and have scored only four goals during that span. The Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators both have shut Seattle out.

Vegas lies on the opposite end of the spectrum.

The Golden Knights won back-to-back games, claiming its first road win against the Edmonton Oilers on Wednesday. Vegas is 4-1 in their last five.

Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill is expected to start for the Golden Knights and Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said he looks more “comfortable” and “confident” on Friday.

Defensively, the Golden Knights have turned it up, allowing 19 goals in their last seven (2.71 goals per game). Their play has been good in complementing Hill’s play in recent outings.

Seattle coach Dan Bylsma said his team needs to perform better getting to the interior ice – an area Vegas protects well due to size and defensive zone structure.

“It’s more evident around their net and the size of which they play. They’re structured with both D and around the net,” Bylsma said. “They can make it hard to get to the inside, especially with the way they play defense, protect the house, and protect their post in the D zone. It definitely can be a challenge to get to the inside. “

“We have had that challenge last couple of games as well and haven’t been able to do a very good job at that. It’ll be a big factor in the game tonight.”