Vegas @ Anaheim preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 4, 2019 ) Vegas 3, Anaheim 2

The Vegas Golden Knights maintained their six-point lead for third place in the Pacific Division by completing their 2-1-1 homestand with a victory. They hope to further tighten their grip when they visit the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.

Vegas rallied from a two-goal deficit against Florida on Thursday to take the lead, only to surrender it before Reilly Smith scored his second goal of the game late in the third period and defenseman Shea Theodore netted the lone tally in the shootout for a 6-5 win. Theodore also notched a pair of assists for the Golden Knights, who are six points ahead of red-hot Arizona in the Pacific. Anaheim is continuing a three-game homestand that began Wednesday with its fourth consecutive loss - a 4-3 setback against Chicago. Devin Shore scored the third short-handed goal of the season for the Ducks, who are in the midst of a stretch during which they play seven of eight at home.

TV: 10 p.m. ET, Sportsnet; AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Vegas), FS West (Anaheim)

ABOUT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS (34-26-5): Smith's two-goal performance against the Panthers gave him six points in his last four contests and 11 over his last 10 games. The 27-year-old right wing has netted three tallies in four contests following a 12-game drought. Mark Stone registered three shots and four hits while a plus-2 on Thursday but was kept off the scoresheet for the second time in as many games since being acquired from Ottawa at the trade deadline.

ABOUT THE DUCKS (24-31-9): John Gibson, who hasn't played since suffering a concussion against Ottawa on Feb. 7, returned to practice Thursday with a fewer amount of teeth. The 25-year-old goaltender had four wisdom teeth extracted Feb. 18 and lost close to 10 pounds after the procedure but has since regained the weight. Carter Rowney scored his fifth goal in 44 games this season Wednesday, matching the amount he totaled in 71 contests over his first two NHL campaigns.

OVERTIME

1. Ducks RW Jakob Silfverberg leads the team with 16 goals - one fewer than the amount he totaled in 77 games last season.

2. Vegas C Paul Stastny has notched a goal and four assists during his three-game point streak.

3. Anaheim LW Rickard Rakell has scored nine goals this season after registering a career-high 34 last campaign and enters Friday with an 11-game drought.

PREDICTION: Golden Knights 5, Ducks 2