Golden Knights face serious test against fast-starting Blues Saturday

So far, the Golden Knights have managed to hold their own in every game.

Saturday, the expansion franchise faces its stiffest challenge.

The St. Louis Blues come to T-Mobile Arena leading the NHL’s Western Conference with 12 points (6-2). They have a lot of firepower, led by Jaden Schwartz, who has six goals and 12 points in eight games, and Vladimir Tarasenko, one of the league’s top scorers who has five goals and nine points.

What’s more impressive is how the Blues have started fast despite a rash of preseason injuries that saw defenseman Jay Bouwmeester (ankle) and centers Robby Fabbri (knee) and Patrik Berglund (shoulder) go down.

Could this be the kind of wide-open, firewagon style game that will see both the Knights’ Malcolm Subban and the Blues’ Jake Allen counting pucks in their sleep.

“I don’t think so,” Knights coach Gerard Gallant said Friday. “They’re a very sound defensive team with really good goaltending.”

Gallant also isn’t looking at St. Louis or Tuesday’s game against Chicago as any sort of litmus test for his team, which has started 5-1 and has the hockey world buzzing with its early success.

“Every game is a test for our team,” Gallant said. “I want to see the same effort from our team no matter who we’re playing.”

The Knights have scored five goals in two of their six games, including Tuesday’s 5-4 overtime win over Buffalo. The offense is diverse as veterans Reilly Smith and David Perron scored Tuesday and Oscar Lindberg added three goals in his last four games.

Still, it’s going to take a strong defensive effort to keep the Blues in check. St. Louis is tied for fifth in the NHL in goals scored with 26.

“They’ve got a lot of weapons,” defenseman Deryk Engelland. “You want to play solid and take care of the puck and move it quickly out of your zone. We’ve been doing a good job of that, transitioning from D to O playing as a five-man unit.”

Fellow defenseman Luca Sbisa said handling the pressure of Tarasenko, who tied for fourth in the NHL last season with 39 goals, Schwartz, who had 19 goals and 55 points last year, along with Paul Stastny (three goals, eight points in eight games this season) and offensive-minded defenseman Alex Piertrangelo (two goals, eight assists) may be the difference between gaining two points or none.

“They’re a fast-skating team, and they’re looking to create turnovers in your end so you’ve got to play solid in your end,” Sbisa said.

The Knights, whose 5-1 start equalled the best start by a first-year franchise in NHL history, will stay with Subban in goal for the time being.

There is no timetable for Marc-Andre Fleury’s return as he continues to recover from a concussion. Subban has been working daily with goaltending coach David Prior since his arrival Oct. 3 as he looks to limit the rebounds and improve his puckhandling.

“He’s working hard,” defenseman Colin Miller said of Subban. “The guys have confidence in him.”

But from the goal out, the Knights will be tested Saturday more than any game to date.

“St. Louis is going to be a challenge,” Gallant said. “They’re very structured, and they’re an elite team that’s well-coached. We just have to focus on ourselves, make good decisions and play to our strengths.”

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Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.