Golden Knights get 2 key players back at practice Monday
The Golden Knights got two key players back at practice Monday.
Goaltender Robin Lehner skated with the team after missing the last four games because of a lower-body injury he suffered Dec. 19 against the New York Islanders. Captain Mark Stone also practiced in a non-contact jersey after getting hurt Dec. 21 against the Tampa Bay Lightning and sitting out three games.
Coach Pete DeBoer said it was “doubtful” either would play Tuesday against the Nashville Predators.
“A good first step,” DeBoer said. “We’ll see how they feel in the morning. We’ll take it from there.”
Lehner has started 24 of the Knights’ 35 games this season and is 14-9 with a .905 save percentage and 3.03 goals-against average. Backup Laurent Brossoit has started four straight games in his absence and has gone 2-1-1 with an .869 save percentage.
Stone is the team’s fifth-leading scorer with 23 points in 19 games. He previously was out for 12 games after getting injured Oct. 14 against the Los Angeles Kings and also missed the Islanders game.
The Knights have been without defenseman Nic Hague as well for two straight games and he didn’t practice Monday. DeBoer said Hague has a wrist injury. He missed the game against the Lightning, came back to play the Kings on Dec. 28 and DeBoer said it “flared back up again.”
“We want to make sure we get it right this time, otherwise you’re dealing with it consistently,” DeBoer said. “If we put him back in early again and it flares up again, then it becomes a chronic-type thing.”
Long home stand
The NHL’s decision to postpone the Knights’ games in Edmonton and Calgary that were originally scheduled for Jan. 14 and 15 means they will play eight in a row at home.
The team has played 19 home games, tied for the second-most in the NHL. The Knights will have played 26 when the home stand is complete compared to 16 road games. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo is planning to enjoy the extra time in Las Vegas while it lasts.
“I like being around my kiddos,” said Pietrangelo, who is a father of four. “Now they know when I leave why I’m leaving, so it gets harder and harder. So for me, I like being home.”
Fourth-line reunion
Right wing Nolan Patrick was moved to center Brett Howden’s line in Sunday’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets and the two stayed together for Monday’s practice.
The two go back a long ways.
Patrick and Howden both played for Team Canada at the 2015 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in Breclav, Czech Republic.
“The way he plays the game, he’s a super smart player,” Howden said. “Hopefully we can kind of pick up some chemistry from what we had previous.”
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
