The Vegas Golden Knights get a set for the next step in their journey as they face the Vancouver Canucks in the Second Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020. The series begins with Game 1 at 7.30pm PT Sunday at Rogers Place in Edmonton.
REMARKS
Sunday’s game is the first of a best-of-seven series between the Golden Knights and Canucks.
Vegas and Vancouver have never met in the offseason since the Golden Knights joined the NHL in 2017-18.
This is the second time the Golden Knights have reached the second round in their three seasons in the league. Vancouver’s last trip to the second round came in 2011 after appearing in the Stanley Cup Final.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV: NBCSN
Radio: FOX Sports 98.9 / 1340 | Deportes Vegas 1460
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LAST TIME OUT
In their final game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round against the Chicago Blackhawks, the Golden Knights skated to a narrow 4-3 victory in Game 5 to advance to the second round. Vegas trained, 2-0, in the first period before that Max Pacioretty buried his first goal of the playoffs to get his teammates’ moves moving. Mark Stone scored early in the second period to ban the game, but the Blackhawks took the lead shortly thereafter. Alec Martinez grabbed the team’s first power-play goal of the series halfway through the frame to set up a 3-3 tie through two periods. Alex TuchThe goal early in the third stood as the winning goal, as the Golden Knights collected the 4-3 win and series victory.
SEASON SERIES
The Canucks and Golden Knights met twice in a span of five days in the regular season, with a third game originally scheduled for March 23 in Vancouver. In the first matchup on Dec. 15th. In Las Vegas, the Golden Knights scored six goals to put out the Canucks, 6-3. In the rematch on Dec. 19, Vancouver earned a 5-4 overtime win at Rogers Arena. A total of 18 goals were scored in the two meetings.
HEAD-TO-HEAD STATS
Max Pacioretty led Vegas in the 2020-20 season season against Vancouver by five points (2G, 3A). Pacioretty collected four of his five points during the first meeting on Dec. 15. In T-Mobile Arena. The Canucks were led by forward Brock Boeser who had four points (1G, 3A), including an assist on Chris Tanev’s winning goal in overtime on Dec. 19.
TO THE OPPONENT
The Canucks finished the regular season in fourth place in the Pacific Division and seventh in the conference. JT Miller led Vancouver in scoring with 72 points (27 G, 45 A) after appearing in each of the team’s 69 games in the regular season. Calder Trophy candidate Quinn Hughes scored 53 points (8 G, 45 A) in 68 games. His 45 assists set a franchise record for the most by a rookie defender, while 19 points since the break from All-Star were the most among any defender in the NHL. Goalkeeper Jacob Markstrom posted a .918 save percentage and a 2.75 GAA after making 43 starts in his seventh season with Vancouver.
PLAYOFF REWIND
The Golden Knights outscored the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round in five games and despite the brevity of the series, it was close from start to finish. Three of Vegas’ four wins were decided by just one goal. Since the postseason began with the Golden Knights’ first round robin match, Mark Stone (4G, 4A) and Reilly Smith (3G, 5A) have grabbed the team with eight points each. Shea Theodore leads all of the NHL’s defenders with four goals in the playoffs, while his seven points rank second among Golden Knights skaters. Alex Tuch, who scored the series-winning goal against the Blackhawks, also has four goals in the postseason.
After defeating the Minnesota Wild in four games in the playoffs qualifying game, the Canucks took on defending Stanley Cup Champion St. Louis. Louis Blues down in six games in the Stanley Cup Playoffs First Round. Elias Pettersson is Vancouver’s top scorer with 13 points (4G, 9A) in 10 postseason games. Miller (5G, 5A) and Hughes (1G, 9A) each have 10 points, while captain Bo Horvat is tied for the league lead with six goals.
Around the NHL
2020 Results of the First Round of Stanley Cup Playoffs:
Vegas Golden Knights Defeat Chicago Blackhawks (5 Games)
Colorado Avalanche Defeats Arizona Coyotes (5 Games)
Dallas Stars Defeat Calgary Flames (6 Matches)
Vancouver Canucks defeated St. Louis Blues (6 matches)
Philadelphia Flyers defeated Montreal Canadiens (6 games)
Tampa Bay Lightning Defeat Columbus Blue Jackets (5 Games)
New York Islanders Defeat Washington Capitals (5 Games)
Boston Bruins Defeat Carolina Hurricanes (5 Games)
KEYS TO THE SERIES
Slow Vancouver Down: The Canucks used speed and skill to defeat the defending Stanley Cup Champions in the first round. It will be vital for Vegas to take Vancouver’s open space and force its talented players to the perimeter.
Battle Between the Pipes: Vegas turned to him Robin Lehner for three of his four wins in the opening round while Marc-Andre Fleury grabbed a win in his only start of the series. Markstrom has been the man for Vancouver since starting every game for the Canucks since Game 1 of their qualifying series against Minnesota.
