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Vegas Golden Knights News
Schmid will start on Long Island on Friday.

Schmid will make his second start of the season after surrendering three goals on 30 shots in last Friday's 4-3 shootout loss to the Coyotes. The 23-year-old netminder was fantastic down the stretch for the Devils last season, recording a .922 SV% and a 2.13 GAA in 18 appearances. He was even able to wrestle some starts away from starter Vitek Vanecek in the post-season, and could continue to see his usage grow if he's able to maintain the excellent form he's shown to date.

Akira Schmid
Ilya Samsonov will start Thursday vs. Florida.

Samsonov will return to the starter's crease on Thursday after watching Joseph Woll allow three goals on 30 shots in a 4-1 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday. Despite a perfect 2-0-0 record, Samsonov has been shaky in the Maple Leafs crease this season, posting a 4.42 GAA and .839 SV%. Samsonov will look to get his game back on track against a Florida Panthers team that has struggled out of the gate, being outscored 11-8 in their first three games (1-2-0). Last season, Samsonov recorded an excellent 1.44 GAA and .953 SV% in three games against the Panthers (2-0-1) before ultimately losing favour to Woll in the Maple Leafs' 4-1 series loss to them in the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Ilya Samsonov
Adin Hill will start Tuesday vs. Dallas.

After alternating between Hill and Logan Thompson in their first two games, the Golden Knights will turn to Hill for his second consecutive start. Hill has picked up where he left off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, recording a stellar 1.01 GAA and .964 SV% in two starts this season (2-0-0). The defending Stanley Cup Champion Golden Knights have been remarkable as a whole, outscoring opponents 12-3 en route to a 3-0-0 start to the season. Tonight, however, they are slight +104 road underdogs in a rematch against the team they defeated in the Western Conference Finals, the Dallas Stars. The Stars are expected to welcome star center Roope Hintz into the lineup for his season debut.

Adin Hill
Brett Howden has served his two-game suspension and will return to Vegas' lineup vs. Dallas.

Howden has served his suspension for two-games for an illegal check to the head on Seattle's Brandon Tanev and will return to Vegas' lineup Tuesday vs. Dallas. The 25-year-old forward had an assist, 15 PIMs and a SOG through 16 shifts and 11:57 TOI in his only game played this season. He is expected to return to his role on Vegas' fourth line alongside Nicolas Roy and Keegan Kolesar.

Brett Howden
Korczak will make his season debut on Saturday.

Korczak was the No.41 overall pick in 2019 and has appeared in just 11 career NHL games since being drafted. He spent most of last season in Henderson (AHL), where he tallied 14 points (4G / 10A) in 50 games. Korczak will replace Alex Pietrangelo, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Kaedan Korczak
Pietrangelo (upper-body) is day-to-day and will not play on Saturday.

Pietrangelo was high high by a pick late in Thursday's win in San Jose. Pietrangelo will be held out of the lineup in Anaheim but is considered day-to-day and isn't expected to be sidelined long-term. Pietrbngelo's absence is always detrimental, but it hurts even more when the Golden Knights are already without Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud on the blueline. Kaedan Korczak will draw into the lineup for Pietrangelo.

Alex Pietrangelo
Schmid led the Devils onto the ice for warmups.

Schmid was 9-5-2 with a .922 SV% and a 2.13 GAA in 2022-23 and will get his first start of the 2022-23 season Friday vs. Arizona. The 23-year-old netminder is only making his 19th career regular-season start but will be looking to build off his impressive postseason run last year, which saw him post a .921 SV% and 2.35 GAA in nine games played. He draws a great opening matchup against Arizona, who finished 2022-23 last in the NHL in shots per game (25.8) and 28th in goals for (225)

Akira Schmid
Ilya Samsonov will start Saturday vs. Minnesota.

Samsonov allowed five goals on only 24 shots but was able to shut the door in overtime and the shootout en route to securing a 6-5 win for the Maple Leafs over the Montreal Canadiens in their first game of the season. Despite the shaky performance, Samsonov will tend the crease again for the Maple Leafs on Saturday in their matchup against the Wild. In his sole meeting against the Wild last season, Samsonov had one of his top performances, saving 24 of 25 shots in a 2-1 overtime victory. The Wild, who ranked 22nd in the league offensively last season (2.91 goals/GM), are coming off a 2-0 victory in their season-opener against the Florida Panthers.

Ilya Samsonov
Jonas Rondbjerg has been recalled from Henderson (AHL).

Rondbjerg was recalled from the Henderson Silver Knights (AHL) Thursday ahead of Vegas' game vs. San Jose due to the two game suspension to Brett Howden and the injury to William Carrier (upper body). The 24-year-old forward appeared in 13 games in 2022-23 for Vegas and failed to pick up a goal while collecting an assist, four PIMs and a -5 plus/minus. He is expected to line up on the Golden Knights' fourth line alongside Keegan Kolesar and Nicholas Roy.

Jonas Rondbjerg
Howden was suspended two games for for an Illegal Check to the Head on Seattle’s Brandon Tanev.

The hit occurred midway through the third period of Tuesday's season opener and Howden received a match penalty on the play. Tanev did not return to the game due to what the Kraken are calling an upper-body injury. Prior to his ejection, Howden had played 11:57 and collected an assist while skating alongside Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson. Mike Amadio and Paul Cotter are the most likely candidates to be prompoted to Vegas' second line in Howden's absence.

Brett Howden
Samsonov will start against the Canadiens on Wednesday.

After a successful first season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, in which he competed for the starting role, Samsonov will begin the 2023-24 campaign as the undisputed starting goalie for the Maple Leafs. Samsonov posted a 2.33 GAA and .919 SV in 42 games (27-10-5) last season, awarding him a one-year, $3.55 million contract through arbitration. Samsonov faced some difficulties in the preseason but still managed a 2-0-1 record despite a pedestrian 2.96 GAA and .879 SV%. Even so, Samsonov should feel confident facing a Montreal Canadiens team that ranked seventh-worst offensively last season, averaging only 2.77 goals per game. Conversely, the Maple Leafs ranked seventh-best defensively, allowing an average of 2.68 goals per game. In two contests against the Canadiens last season, Samsonov posted a 1.99 GAA and .923 SV% along with a 1-0-1 record.

Ilya Samsonov
Samsonov is expected to start the Maple Leafs' season opener vs. the Canadiens.

After a successful first season with the Toronto Maple Leafs, in which he competed for the starting role, Samsonov will begin the 2023-24 campaign as the undisputed starting goalie for the Maple Leafs. Samsonov posted a 2.33 GAA and .919 SV in 42 games (27-10-5) last season, awarding him a one-year, $3.55 million contract through arbitration. Samsonov faced some difficulties in the preseason but still managed a 2-0-1 record despite a pedestrian 2.96 GAA and .879 SV%. Even so, Samsonov should feel confident facing a Montreal Canadiens team that ranked seventh-worst offensively last season, averaging only 2.77 goals per game. Conversely, the Maple Leafs ranked seventh-best defensively, allowing an average of 2.68 goals per game. In two contests against the Canadiens last season, Samsonov posted a 1.99 GAA and .923 SV% along with a 1-0-1 record.

Ilya Samsonov
Adin Hill was the first goalie off the ice Tuesday and will start vs. Seattle.

Hill was awarded a two-year, $9.8 million contract extension by Vegas in the offseason and will take the crease in their opening matchup of the 2023-24 campaign. The 27-year-old was 16-7-1 with a .915 SV% and a 2.50 GAA in 27 games played in 2022-23 before leading the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup. He draws the tough task of the Seattle Kraken who were fourth in the NHL in GF in 2022-23 (289) and 20th in SOG/GP (30.5).

Adin Hill
Cal Burke has been traded to the Carolina Hurricanes for Caleb Jones.

Burke had 16 goals, 23 assists, 18 PIMs, and a +12 plus/minus in 70 games with Colorado (AHL) in 2022-23 and has been traded to Carolina for Caleb Jones. The 26-year-old forward originally joined Colorado as an undrafted free agent in 2020-21 and has played three AHL seasons for the Eagles. He made his NHL debut during the 2022-23 season with the Avalanche, playing in two games and failing to pick up a point.

Cal Burke
The Golden Knights claimed Grigori Denisenko off waivers from the Panthers.

Denisenko was placed on waivers by Florida and claimed on Saturday by the Vegas Golden Knights. The 23-year-old forward was the Panthers 2018 first-round pick (15th overall) and had three assists, four PIMs and a -5 plus/minus in 18 games with Florida in 2022-23. He has played sporadically across three seasons with the Panthers, picking up seven assists and eight PIMs in 26 career NHL games played.

Grigori Denisenko
Zach Whitecloud is week-to-week due to surgery on an area of his upper-body.

Whitecloud was hurt after receiving a hit from Colorado's Kurtis MacDermid in Vegas' preseason game vs. the Avalanche and is considered week-to-week after undergoing successful surgery on an area on the upper body. The 26-year-old was expected to be a big part of Vegas' defensive unit this season after collecting five goals, seven assists, 41 PIMs, and a +10 plus/minus through 59 games in 2022-23.

Zach Whitecloud