Golden Knights goaltender Laurent Brossoit out indefinitely

The Golden Knights had a new spectator for their morning skate Thursday standing on their bench in a black shirt and gray shorts.

It wasn’t one they wanted to see. They would much rather have Laurent Brossoit participating than watching.

Coach Pete DeBoer said Brossoit, who backed up goaltender Logan Thompson in the Knights’ previous four games, has been “dealing with something” that has made it possible for him to dress but not play a full game. The “something,” which DeBoer did not specify, has progressed to where Brossoit can’t back up for the Knights.

DeBoer said there is no timeline for Brossoit’s return. Goaltender Jiri Patera was called up from the Silver Knights, giving the Golden Knights a rookie goaltending tandem as they’re fighting for a playoff spot.

“Neither of our goalies is an option for a little while now,” DeBoer said. “(Thompson has) come in and done a great job, and his journey has prepared him to grab this and go with it.”

The Knights were already without starting goaltender Robin Lehner, who is on injured reserve and has missed the past eight games with a lower-body injury. DeBoer said Lehner and defenseman Brayden McNabb (undisclosed) are on track to return faster than captain Mark Stone (back) and right wing Reilly Smith (undisclosed).

Brossoit struggled after Lehner’s injury. He went 0-3-0 with an .853 save percentage, including a game in Winnipeg where he allowed four goals on 13 shots. The Knights turned the net over to Thompson afterward. The rookie was 3-4 entering Thursday’s game with a .910 save percentage and 3.00 goals-against average.

“He’s played awesome,” right wing Nicolas Roy said. “He’s been giving us a chance to win every game.”

Patera is 6-9-0 with a .901 save percentage and 2.92 goals-against average for the Silver Knights.

Hayes’ wild debut

Defenseman Zack Hayes was on a bus listening to music and getting comfortable for a long ride to Anaheim, California, on Monday when he got the news of his life.

Silver Knights video coach Andrew Doty told him to get off the bus and get his stuff. He was going to the show. After receiving a standing ovation from his teammates, Hayes began a mad dash to get to his NHL debut.

Silver Knights coach Manny Viveiros drove Hayes and fellow call-ups Jonas Rondbjerg, Paul Cotter and Daniil Miromanov to the airport. They were pressed for time because the Golden Knights learned after their morning skate that right wing Michael Amadio and defenseman Zach Whitecloud were going into the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol before their game at Minnesota.

Hayes said he landed at 5:45 p.m. CT in Minnesota and found out he was playing five minutes later. The 23-year-old arrived at Xcel Energy Center 10 to 15 minutes before warmups.

Hayes was so rushed he didn’t get the traditional solo lap before his debut. It was saved for his second game the next night in Winnipeg.

“Struggled to get my socks on,” Hayes said. “Shoulder pads might have been on backward. I don’t know. I was just trying to throw everything on as quick as I could and get out there. I didn’t want to miss it.”

Hayes met with coaches for five minutes after warmups and then went out and played. Despite all the craziness, he tried to soak the experience in as much as possible.

“It was a little bit of a gong show,” Hayes said. “But I’ll take it.”

Martinez update

Defenseman Alec Martinez participated in Thursday’s morning skate, but there’s still no word on when he will play again.

Martinez hasn’t played since Nov. 11, when he suffered a facial laceration against the Wild after getting kicked in the head by a skate.

“It’s such a unique injury, and there’s so many things going on with it,” DeBoer said. “Nobody wants to play and help more than him. I feel for the guy.”

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