Locked On Golden Knights - Daily Podcast On the Vegas Golden Knights – Details, episodes & analysis

The hockey world was rocked early Friday morning with the death of Columbus Blue Jackets star forward Johnny Gadreau. He and his brother Matthew were killed by suspected drunk driver in New Jersey. They were scheduled to be groomsmen in their sisters wedding Friday in Philadelphia. Matthew was 31, his brother was 29 years old. We talked about the bond and friendship between Johnny Hockey and VGK's Jack Eichel, who both played in Hockey East. Both won the Hobey Baker a year apart at rival schools - Gadreau at Boston College, Eichel at Boston U. They played together on the USA World Championship team. Eichel was almost traded to Calgary before he came to Las Vegas from Buffalo. We also talk about VGK's television schedule and it's WTF with fan comments.

Trade deadline acquisition Noah Hanifin was ranked 18th on the NHL Network's list of Top Twenty defensemen when the list was announced Wednesday. Last year, Alex Pietrangelo was rated 9th and Shea Theodore 18th on the preseason list. Neither made the list this year. Hanifin has been a solid player with a high hockey IQ. He missed just one game over the past three seasons (traveled to Las Vegas after the Calgary trade.) Hanifin had a career best 13 goals last season - 11 in Calgary. There are big expectations for the blueliner this season. We also discuss VGK's recent collapse in the middle third of seasons. And "Block Everything" is Cassidy's mantra.

Current NHL Network analyst Bruce Boudreau says didn't do enough during the offseason. He said the most significant moves happened at the trade deadline with the acquisitions of Noah Hanifin and Tomas Hertl. He feels VGK lost more talent than it acquired, with a mass exodus of 8 players via free agency and trades. We discuss whether VGK should go after any of the top five remaining UFA wingers. And, we update the rumor mill when we discuss the contract talks between Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers.

Connor McDavid is listed as day-to-day for the Oilers tonight in an important clash for VGK in the playoff chase. McDavid, who is third in the league with 130 points, missed practice twice this week after taking a hit from Blake Coleman of the Flames on Saturday. The Golden Knights still have plenty of other Oilers players that need to be marked in the contest. VGK is five points ahead of St. Louis and VGK still trails the Kings by a point, after Los Angeles lost at Anaheim Tuesday night. Bruce Cassidy said his team's attention to details has been slipping the past two games. The Golden Knights look to get back on track tonight. We look at the current standings and the battle for WC1. And, we have our Locks and Predictions for tonight's game.

The Golden Knights blew their second two-goal lead in as many games, as the dropped a 4-3 decision to the Canucks in Vancouver Tuesday night. It was the first win ever for Vancouver over VGK at the Roger Center. It also assured the Canucks of home ice in the first round of the playoffs. Jack Eichel scored twice on the Golden Knight's first two shots of the game, but VGK allowed Vancouver to respond. Noah Hanifin had the other VGK goal. The Golden Knights scored two power play goals, but they also allowed two on the man advantage to Vancouver. Arturs Silovs (3-0) outbattled Logan Thompson. The Golden Knights were outmuscled in the blue paint. On the upside, VGK did not allow any third period goals - so that's a step in the right direction. Last night was Tomas Hertl's first game as a Golden Knight. He had an assist and played a lot of minutes on special teams. Hertl also won 67% of his faceoff battles. To get Hertl into the lineup, VGK put Will Carrier on LTIR and send Brendon Brisson to the minors. We should see Adin Hill's return to the lineup Wednesday. He has been out since March 23rd. Logan Thompson hit a rough patch the last two games, and VGK should welcome Hill back in Edmonton Wednesday night.

The Golden Knights suffered one of the worst regular season losses in team history Friday night in Tempe. VGK had a four-goal outburst in the second period and led 4-1 after 40 minutes. But as we have seen too often this season, no VGK lead is safe. And in the third period, we saw the Yotes reel off six consecutive goals. Arizona beat Vegas 7-4. The Golden Knights appeared as though they felt they could defeat Arizona easily, and it appeared to be that way after two periods. The Coyotes scored three goals in a span of 1:07 in the third. Chris give us a recap of what it was like inside the "party barn." And, we preview tonight's VGK road game in Vancouver. The Golden Knights will look to regain third place in the Pacific. We should see the debut of Tomas Hertl tonight. He will be playing on the wing on the second line. Alex Pietrangelo will miss another game due to illness. Nic Roy is out. Adin Hill will travel with the team, but Cassidy said he probably won't play in Vancouver. Could Hill be forced into action if Logan Thompson, who had to be helped off the ice at City National Sunday, cannot go.

Bruce Cassidy is telling the Golden Knights to "handle business" against the Arizona Coyotes in Tempe tonight. The Coyotes could still be a dangerous team even though their season is basically over as they are 20 points out of a playoff spot. Arizona has a winning record (20-19) at Mullett Arena on the ASU campus. Cassidy said we will not see Tomas Hertl tonight in his debut. Many believe it could be due to cap restrictions even though Hertl is said to be medically cleared. Nic Roy was injured on the Vqncouver game and will miss the short trip. Brendan Brisson was activated for tonight's game. The Coyotes were sellers at the trade deadline, so they are going with the youth movement to wind up the season. We talk about Jack Eichel blowing tires and we have our WTF comments from viewers and listeners.

Topping our list of unsung heroes this season for the Golden Knights, is defenseman Brayden McNabb. Not only has he played in every game, he already has a career high of 24 points. He's plus-18 on the season and plus-116 for his career. Michael Amadio is also on our list. We talk about the impact of trade deadline acquisitions Noah Hanifin and Anthony Mantha. They have combined for 14 points in the 13 games since they hit the ice for VGK. We also discuss the Pacific Division race as it comes down to the wire.

One of the trademarks of the Golden Knights since inception has been its ability to respond after an opponent scores a goal. In Tuesday's win over the first-place Vancouver Canucks, the Golden Knights had two quick responses everytime the Canucks rallied to get back in the game.After a Nils Hoglander goal cut the Vancouver deficit to 2-1, Jack Eichel tallied his 27th goal some 20-second later. Then Brett Howden put the game away for good. Quinn Hughes scored to rally the Canucks to down two goals again in the third period. Brett Howden countered to make it a 6-3 VGK advantage. We talk about the return of Tomas Hertl and where he will fit in. And, we look at the Pacific Division and Western Conference race as VGK continues its heater.

The Golden Knights return home following a successful four-game road swing tonight as they face the division-leading Vancouver Canucks. Both teams have eight games remaining. VGK looks to close the gap on the Canucks, who lead the Pacific by ten points, and the Edmonton Oilers, who lead VGK by five points. Suddenly, the Golden Knights have 90 points. VGK lost the last meeting against Vancouver 3-1 on home ice. VGK had a difficult time breaking out of the neutral zone in that game. We will see if the Golden Knights have improved since the last meeting when they take the ice this evening at the Fortress. The Canucks are without starting goaltender Thatcher Demko, who has 34 wins on the season. We will probably see Casey DeSmith in net for the Canucks tonight. VGK saw new acquisition Tomas Hertl make his debut on the ice at practice yesterday, albeit in a non-contact jersey. We talk about "The Spirit Of The (Salary) Cap" and we have our Locks and Predictions for tonight's battle.