2019-20 NHL – San Jose Sharks @ Vegas Golden Knights Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is San Jose Sharks @ Vegas Golden Knights taking place? Thursday 3rd October, 2019 – 03:30 (UK)
Where is San Jose Sharks @ Vegas Golden Knights taking place? T-Mobile Arena
What television channel is San Jose Sharks @ Vegas Golden Knights on? Check back here closer to the match for TV info
Where can I stream San Jose Sharks @ Vegas Golden Knights? Check back here closer to the match for live streaming info
Where can I get tickets for San Jose Sharks @ Vegas Golden Knights? https://www.nhl.com/tickets
What was the outcome in the last meeting? San Jose Sharks 5 – 4 Vegas Golden Knights
THE TEAM NEWS
SAN JOSE SHARKS
- The Sharks enjoyed a very successful season during the 2018-19 term. The California-based franchise were the second-best team in the Western Conference with 101 points and reached the Western Conference Finals, where they lost 4-2 against the St. Louis Blues.
- Surprisingly, San Jose’s most productive player was a defenseman since Brent Burns solidified his status as one of the best two-way players in the league with an 83-point season (16 goals, 67 assists). C Tomas Hertl had 35 goals and 39 assists, while RW Timo Meier delivered 30 goals and 36 assists. LW Evander Kane also reached the 30-goal mark on route to a 56-point season.
- The Sharks handed out several one-year deals during the free agency market, although two deals worth noting are the two-season contract given to re-sign defenseman Nick DeSimone and the four-year contract given to Timo Meier, who was a restricted free agent. However, they lost Joe Pavelski (their top scorer last season with 38 goals) as the veteran center signed with the Dallas Stars.
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS
- The Golden Knights’ first season in the NHL couldn’t have gone much better, as they reached the postseason in their debut year (seventh in the Western Conference with 93 points) even though they won just once in their last five regular season games. They exited in the first round of the playoffs, however, losing 4-3 against the San Jose Sharks.
- The Vegas-based franchise had four players who reached the 50-point plateau this past season. These were C Jonathan Marchessault (25 goals, 34 assists), C William Karlsson (24 goals, 32 assists), RW Reilly Smith (19 goals, 34 assists) and RW Alex Tuch (20 goals, 32 assists).
- The Golden Knights traded for Mark Stone during the 2018-19 season and signed him to an eight-year contract, so they did not make many moves during the free agency period. Their longest commitment was made with defenseman Jake Bischoff, who joins the franchise on a three-year contract from the Chicago Wolves (AHL).
THE PREDICTION
The Golden Knights had a solid 2018-19 season, but they could not back that up during the playoffs and their roster remains mostly unchanged. The Sharks were one of the top sides in the Western Conference and while they lost Pavelski, they still should be good enough to beat the spread of 1.5 goals here
