Knights start 5-game East Coast trip, look to build off win

The Golden Knights needed to win Tuesday for many reasons.

To get the overtime/shootout monkey off their backs. To win goaltender Carter Hart’s first start in nearly two years. To going into this five-game, East Coast trip with an ounce of momentum.

It’s an opportunity for the Knights to build on something positive. That begins Friday when they face the New Jersey Devils at Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Heading east is the Knights’ first test of what should be a favorable December with 13 games and only one back-to-back.

Following the Devils are the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Sunday, followed by the New York Islanders on Long Island on Tuesday.

The trip wraps up with stops in Philadelphia and Columbus.

“Going on the road, New York, I think is always a good trip,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It’s New York, right? The players enjoy going there.”

The Knights (12-6-8) won back-to-back games for the first time since Nov. 18 to 20 and only the third time since mid-October.

That’s the kind of roller coaster they’ve been on. They finished 5-4-5 in November, largely in part to being without center William Karlsson and No. 1 goalie Adin Hill because of lower-body injuries.

“In November, we all wanted to win more games,” Cassidy said. “But if you’re looking at the positive, I thought our overall game — in terms of growth — was getting there.”

Bowman makes impact

That growth came from other players getting an opportunity. Right wing Braeden Bowman has made the most of his chance with nine points in 11 games.

Bowman was viewed as a stopgap while captain Mark Stone missed 16 games with a wrist injury. Not anymore. The 22-year-old is becoming a mainstay even with Stone back in the lineup.

“For the last month, we’ve been playing some really good hockey,” Stone said.

The Knights went into the season with the objective to bank points as early as possible. They’ve done that in 20 of 26 games and, despite more losses than wins, find themselves one point back of first place in the Pacific Division.

The next task is trying to build off that and string some wins together.

“We’re getting past a few of the uncertainties of how we’re going to respond to things, and our lineup is getting healthier,” Cassidy said. “So hopefully that got us past that hurdle and got our attention, because when you’re down a few people, your focus needs to be better.”

About the Devils

It would be better to watch the Devils (16-10-1) if they had a full lineup. Notably, if No. 1 center Jack Hughes was playing.

But New Jersey is without its superstar for another 1½ months after he underwent surgery on his finger Nov. 15.

Hughes was off to a stellar start with 20 points in 17 games.

New Jersey is still a talented team with plenty of firepower. Captain Nico Hischier and wingers Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer each has 10 goals. Defenseman Simon Nemec has six goals and 15 points.

The Devils, who wrap up a four-game homestand Friday against the Knights, lost the first three by a combined score of 13-6. They’re coming off a 3-0 loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday.

They haven’t gotten production from their No. 1 goalie, Jacob Markstrom, who is 7-5-1 with an .875 save percentage. Backup Jake Allen is 8-5-0 with a .911 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.