NHL Game of the Week: Vegas Golden Knights vs. Los Angeles Kings

As the season continues, more starts to become known about each team in the league, Wednesday presents a Pacific Division battle between the top teams with the Golden Knights and the Kings.

The Golden Knights are looking hot at the start of the season with a 7-2-1 record, posting 15 standings points to make them second in the league.

They have been clicking on all cylinders ranking first in goals for and goals for per game, and fourth on the powerplay.

Their defense has been stingy ranking sixth on the penalty kill, fourth on blocked shots per game, and seventh in save percentage.

The Kings find themselves middle of the pack in goals against and goals for per game, but in the bottom 10 of both power play and penalty kill.

Kings have found themselves in close games with five of their nine games being within two goals.

They have lost to top teams in the league by big margins though with losses to the Maple Leafs and the Golden Knights being outscored 12-3.

These two have seen each other plenty since the inaugural season of the Golden Knights in 2017 with the Kings having a 15-16-2 record against the Golden Knights.

The Kings have a young team who have been overplaying their expectations the past three seasons but not being able to make it past that first round.

The Golden Knights are a high-flying, high-powered offense with a strong defensive structure in front of their goalie, who just has had to be average over the past couple of seasons and the team would be fine.

The Kings are coming off a heavy road trip, only having played two games at home, winning both matchups. They will be on the back half of a back-to-back, playing San Jose on Tuesday night and traveling back home to play on Wednesday night.

The Golden Knights will be well rested with a rest day Tuesday, and looking to continue their four-game winning streak.

This will be the second time the Kings and the Golden Knights matchup in the last week. On October 22nd, the Golden Knights made a statement over the Kings winning 6-1 in Las Vegas.

The Golden Knights are looking for their first win on the road. The key for them is to take advantage of the rest. If they get their top guys going early and often, the Kings will have a lot on their plate with a tired team.

The Kings are looking to stay unbeaten at home. The key is to keep Las Vegas out of the net early and to stay out of the box. In their last matchup, the Golden Knights scored three in the first period, while being perfect on their two power plays.

If the Kings can capitalize on special teams, staying out of the box and scoring on the power play, this will be a very interesting game.

This game is slated to be played at 10 p.m. EST Wednesday on TNT.

Tristan Kunec is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email tqk5432@psu.edu.