Knights start 6-game homestand with Nevada Day clash against Avalanche

The Golden Knights’ three-game road trip didn’t get off to a clean start, but a strong finish made up for it.

The Knights’ offense sputtered in a 3-0 loss to the Florida Panthers on Saturday and a 2-1 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. But the team capped off the trip with a 6-3 win in Carolina on Tuesday.

The Knights, after picking up three of a possible six points against three perennial Stanley Cup contenders, now have a chance to get on a roll. They begin a season-long six-game homestand at 1 p.m. Friday by hosting the Colorado Avalanche for their annual Nevada Day game.

“None of them are easy games,” right wing Mitch Marner said. “They’re teams that are really good at getting up-ice pressure, be in your face, not giving you time or space. It’s something I think we can look forward to and realize that we should do more of.”

The homestand starts with a difficult matchup.

The Knights (6-1-3) and Avalanche (6-1-4) are the only two NHL teams with one regulation loss. Colorado won its last game against the New Jersey Devils thanks to a hat trick from former Knights left wing Victor Olofsson, who signed a one-year deal with the Avalanche in the offseason.

Coach Bruce Cassidy knows his team will need to be ready from puck drop Friday. The Knights started slow against the Panthers and Lightning, but found their game faster against the Hurricanes.

“We never got to it in Florida. Tampa took us half the game,” Cassidy said. “Carolina was probably 50 pretty good minutes.”

Injury updates

Cassidy said defenseman Noah Hanifin, who hasn’t played since the season opener due to a lower-body injury, is progressing.

Hanifin won’t play Friday but could return during the homestand, which wraps up Nov. 13 against the New York Islanders.

Center Colton Sissons is considered day to day with an undisclosed injury he suffered Sunday. He will miss his second consecutive game Friday, which will keep left wing Cole Reinhardt in the lineup.

Reinhardt had an assist in the win over the Hurricanes on Tuesday.

Goaltender Adin Hill (lower body) and captain Mark Stone (wrist) remain week to week.

Keeping tabs on Jays

The Canadian-heavy Knights are locked in on the World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays one win away from their first championship since 1993.

The Blue Jays can clinch the World Series title in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Dodgers at 5 p.m. Friday. The Knights’ early start time against the Avalanche should give them a chance to get home for the first pitch.

The only dilemma is some players’ families want to go trick-or-treating.

“I don’t know what the game plan will be yet,” said Marner, a native of Markham, Ontario. “I know my wife’s family is here from out of town, and I think we’re going to go trick-or-treating with the son and a couple of guys here.”

Marner said he’ll “be keeping a close eye” on the game regardless.

Cassidy, born in Ottawa, Ontario, is cheering for his home country’s team even though he is a fan of Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts, who was a star for the Boston Red Sox when Cassidy coached the Bruins.

“It would be great for the country,” Cassidy said.

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