Another 82-game hockey season is here, and this one might be more intense than any in Golden Knights’ history.
Several games carry more weight than usual with Vegas’ status as defending Stanley Cup champions. Here are eight worth watching.
VGK 2023 Season Preview
- Longtime friends and VGK goaltending tandem Adin Hill and Logan Thompson are ready to run it back
- Vegas Golden Knights’ ‘Original Misfit’ William Karlsson will continue to be a key factor
- VGK forward Ivan Barbashev looks to build on the crucial role he played last year
- New ways to watch the Golden Knights this year
- How the Vegas Golden Knights’ four championship cornerstones could be even better this season
- Eight key games to watch during the VGK regular season
October 10 vs. Seattle
There’s a giant space in the rafters of T-Mobile Arena above section 205. That will be filled this night when the Golden Knights unveil their Stanley Cup banner ahead of the season opener.
October 17 vs. Dallas
This is the first rematch of last season’s Western Conference Final that saw Vegas win in six. Former Vegas/current Dallas coach Pete DeBoer will surely be fired up to see the aforementioned banner hanging above his head.
October 21 at Chicago
The Golden Knights face No. 1 overall pick and 18-year-old phenom Connor Bedard in his home opener at the United Center. Bedard and the Blackhawks then make a quick return trip to Vegas for the annual Nevada Day game on Oct. 27.
November 14 at Washington
The Golden Knights will likely take a detour to the White House in the days before facing the Capitals. If he’s healthy, Washington free-agent acquisition Max Pacioretty will face his former team for the first time since Vegas traded him to Carolina in the summer of 2022.
November 28 at Edmonton
The betting odds and most power ratings have the Golden Knights and Oilers as the two best teams in the Western Conference. This has perhaps unexpectedly become one of the sport’s bigger rivalries after Vegas upset Edmonton in six games in the second round of last year’s playoffs.
December 23 at Florida
It’s a Stanley Cup Final rematch in both teams’ final game before the NHL’s three-day Christmas break. Both Stanley Cup games at Amerant Bank Arena came down to the wire with one-goal margins.
January 1 at Seattle
T-Mobile Park, home of the Seattle Mariners, will host the Golden Knights’ second outdoor game in franchise history. They previously faced the Avalanche in February 2021 in Lake Tahoe, losing 3-2 in a game marred and delayed by problems with the ice.
January 20 vs. Pittsburgh
Reilly Smith makes his return to Vegas for the first time since he was traded to the Penguins in June. It’s expected to be an emotionally charged night with the crowd honoring the original Golden Misfit.
