Golden Knights’ Jon Merrill takes advantage of rare opportunity

Jon Merrill helped the Golden Knights score a key victory over the Edmonton Oilers on March 9. He then waited 174 days to play his next game.

Merrill traveled to the NHL’s secure zone in Edmonton, Alberta, on July 26 with the rest of his teammates. But the defenseman didn’t appear in any of the Knights’ round-robin or first-round games.

On Sunday, with the team playing on back-to-back days, he got his chance. Merrill replaced Nick Holden in the lineup and recorded an assist in a 5-3 Game 4 win over the Vancouver Canucks in the Western Conference semifinals.

“(I was) a little rusty,” Merrill said. “I think to be expected, but I thought I settled into the game as it went on. It’s just really awesome to be out there with the guys again.”

Knights coach Pete DeBoer said Holden wasn’t scratched for an injury. He said he wanted a fresh skater because of the limited turnaround between games.

Merrill got the call and took advantage. He was on the third pair with rookie Zach Whitecloud, played 14:08 and had two hits. His assist on defenseman Nate Schmidt’s third-period goal was the first playoff point of his career.

“I thought he played great,” Schmidt said. “In the third period, when I scored, I was more excited for Jonny sliding it over than anything. He’s an unbelievable teammate and a guy that works hard behind the scenes and puts in the work.”

Secondary scoring is key

Fifteen Knights players have at least one point against the Canucks, who have received points from eight players.

The Knights’ depth scoring has made it almost impossible for Vancouver to keep up. The Canucks are heavily reliant on their stars, while the Knights get different players to contribute each night.

On Sunday, that included fourth-line center Chandler Stephenson scoring and the third line being on the ice for Schmidt’s goal.

“Maybe it’s not accurate, but it feels like our fourth line has gotten us a goal a night,” DeBoer said. “Our third line has gotten us a goal a night. When you have that feeling on the bench, it gives your group a lot of confidence. It takes the pressure off the big guys that they have to score every night. It takes the pressure off your power play that you have to score every time you get an opportunity. It’s critically important this time of year.”

Bubble life

The Knights have been inside the NHL’s bubble for more than a month, and right wing Reilly Smith admitted that players are getting “cabin fever a little bit.”

“It’s tough,” Smith said. “There’s not a lot of sunlight, not a lot of grass you get to see. But our team and our organization has done a good job trying to make the most of the experience and really giving us every opportunity to get our mind away from the game and the bubble as well as they could.”

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