After splitting two games at home to begin the season, the Vegas Golden Knights head to the Pacific Northwest for a two-game road trip beginning Sunday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
Forward Brett Howden said he thinks getting away from home will be good for the defending Western Conference champions, who went a solid 19-14-8 on the road last season.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been on the road … so I think it will be good for our group to get together,” Howden said. “It’s a quick trip but excited to get on the road with the guys. Two important games for us.”
Vegas, which had Saturday off in Vancouver, also plays at Seattle on Tuesday before returning home to host the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
The Golden Knights opened the season with a 5-2 victory over Chicago on Tuesday but then were defeated by the Anaheim Ducks, 4-3, on Friday.
Anaheim built a 4-0 lead in that contest with three of the goals coming in the first 7:03 of the second period.
Vegas, which has never rallied from a four-goal deficit to win a game in franchise history, made things interesting with three goals in the third period. The Knights had several good scoring chances to tie it after pulling goalie Carter Hart for an extra attacker but couldn’t get the tying goal past Lukas Dostal.
“We’re one play away in the end in the blue paint from tying it up,” Vegas coach Ryan Craig said. “You get down by four it’s hard to come back. Proud of our guys for the effort and the urgency.”
Said captain Mark Stone: “You’re never going to see this team quit. I think that’s why we’ve had some playoff success and some regular-season success as a team. We don’t quit. We continue to push. But when you get down 4-0, you are not going to come back very often.”
Vegas swept all three meetings with Vancouver last season, outscoring the Canucks, 11-5, in the process. The Golden Knights have won the last seven in the series dating back to a 4-3 loss on April 8, 2024.
Vancouver, which finished with an NHL-worst 58 points last season, split two games with the Edmonton Oilers to begin the season before posting a 4-1 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday.
Liam Ohgren, playing in his 100th NHL game, scored a goal and also assisted on defenseman Elias Pettersson’s game-winning tally during a four-goal third period. Leevi Merilainen finished with 23 saves to pick up the win in his first start in net for the Canucks.
After the Canucks won just nine times in 41 home contests (9-27-5) last season, Ohgren said developing a tough home ice advantage was a big goal for the team heading into this season.
“It feels great. We talked about it has to be hard to come here and play against us, and I felt like tonight was exactly like that,” Ohgren said. “I’m happy to get that first win at home, and now we’ve just got to keep it going.”
