Golden Knights’ Alex Tuch finally healthy as NHL playoffs loom

There were probably plenty of times during the 2019-20 season when avid gamer Alex Tuch wanted to throw his controller at the wall.

The Golden Knights’ right wing’s season was full of fits and starts. It was seemingly an endless cycle of injuries, rehab, returns to the ice and then more injuries that sapped any momentum.

Tuch was hurt three times with lower- and upper-body injuries, landed on injured reserve twice and missed time in four of the season’s six months. He appeared in 42 of the Knights’ 71 games and didn’t produce up to his standards.

The NHL’s shutdown gave Tuch the chance to hit the restart button. No longer rushed to get back, the 24-year-old spent time recovering and getting his body into shape for the postseason.

Now he’s returned to the ice fully healthy and ready to be an X-factor for the Knights. Coach Pete DeBoer’s message to the talented winger has been simple: If you perform well in the playoffs, no one will remember your regular season.

“It’s definitely a fresh start,” said Tuch, who estimated he lost about 10 pounds during the pause. “Obviously, I found myself with a little bit of the injury bug this year. … It’s something I just have to leave in the past. It was a building year for me, understanding what I need to do more on a day-to-day basis to take care of myself. (There were) a couple freak injuries.”

Several factors drove down Tuch’s numbers after he scored a career-high 52 points last season. The injuries were the main one. It also didn’t help that he played with a rotating cast of linemates as the Knights tried to find a third-line combination that worked.

The end result: He’s scored 17 points, seven of them on the power play. Opponents have outscored the Knights 25-15 during five-on-five play when he’s been on the ice.

DeBoer hopes those stats will change with Tuch skating with Chandler Stephenson and Nicolas Roy to start training camp. They have an intriguing blend of size and speed that should make it difficult for opponents to match up with them.

“We have to be physical, we have to be fast,” Tuch said. “I’ve thought so far we’ve had some really good cohesion. Those two guys are really easy to play with.”

Despite the subpar season, DeBoer still thinks Tuch can be a “mismatch guy” in the playoffs. There are not many third-line players as talented.

Tuch often catches defenders flat-footed because they’re surprised a 6-foot-4-inch skater can move as well as he does. DeBoer thinks that burst could create plenty of opportunities for Tuch when opponents focus their resources on slowing the Knights’ top six.

“I think he has the potential to really make some noise here in the playoffs,” DeBoer said. “He’s going to be hard for fifth and sixth defensemen to contain.”

Teammate Tomas Nosek said a healthy Tuch can “be the difference” on the third line and give the Knights the lineup depth they haven’t had this season. The team was already difficult to match up with before the pause. A healthy Tuch could make the club even more dangerous.

“Going forward, I’m just worried about the playoffs now,” Tuch said. “It doesn’t matter what happened before, how many injuries I had, who I played with or anything like that. I’m just worried about winning now.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.