The Vegas Golden Knights host the Seattle Kraken on Wednesday at 10 p.m. EDT in Paradise, Nevada, in the fourth meeting between the Pacific Division rivals this season. Seattle won the last one 4-3 in a shootout, and Vegas is back home trying to extend a three-game winning streak on its own ice.
The matchup comes with both teams moving in different directions. Vegas is 38-26-17 and has gone 6-1-3 over its last 10 games while averaging 3.7 goals a night, a stretch built in part around Mark Stone’s 28 goals and 44 assists and Mitchell Marner’s four goals and five assists over his last 10. Seattle, 34-35-11, has dropped to 3-6-1 over its last 10 and is averaging 2.4 goals per game, with Bobby McMann leading the way at 29 goals and 17 assists and Brandon Montour scoring three times over that same span.
Vegas has been especially strong when it gets its offense rolling, going 36-6-11 in games in which it scores at least three goals, and it owns a 14-5-6 record in Pacific Division play. Seattle, meanwhile, has been better inside the division than its overall record suggests at 16-8-1, but its minus-28 scoring differential tells the broader story after allowing 251 goals and scoring 223.
The injury lists add another layer. William Karlsson is out for Vegas with a lower-body injury. Seattle is dealing with several absences, with Joey Daccord, Jared McCann, Shane Wright and Philipp Grubauer all listed day to day or out, while Matt Murray is out for personal reasons. The Golden Knights have been getting enough scoring to keep their current run going; the Kraken have been trying to patch together enough offense to keep pace.
The teams already know what the other can do, and Wednesday gives both another chance to shape the Pacific Division picture before the season tightens further. Separately, Las Vegas arena football will also be getting a new tenant, with the Rockers joining the International Arena League and calling Orleans Arena home after hiring Coach Hollywood early. But the night’s focus is the puck, and Vegas has the edge of form, home ice and firepower.