Golden Knights report: 3 injured players doubtful for near future
Golden Knights vs. Panthers
RJ’s three stars
3. Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad — The 2014 No. 1 overall pick had a goal and two assists. His 56 points are the fifth-most by a defenseman this season.
2. Knights goaltender Logan Thompson — The rookie bounced back from two shaky performances in Columbus and Winnipeg to earn his first home NHL win. He made 32 saves.
1. Knights right wing Evgenii Dadonov — The former Panther scored twice in the second period. It was his second two-goal game of the season and his fifth multi-point effort.
Key play
Right wing Nicolas Roy’s breakaway goal.
The Panthers came back from 3-1 down to tie the game at 3-3 with 7:34 left in the third period. Roy put the Knights right back up.
Panthers center Sam Bennett fell down at the top of the offensive zone, allowing Roy to pick up the puck for a breakaway. He beat goaltender Spencer Knight with a backhand move to give the Knights a 4-3 lead with 6:37 to go in the third.
It was Roy’s second straight game with a goal.
Key stat
12 — The number of goals the Knights have scored in their past three games.
The offense has surged back to life after going into a rut when captain Mark Stone was placed on long-term injured reserve with a back injury. The Knights scored two or fewer goals in nine of their next 13 games. Then they scored four against Columbus, three against Winnipeg and five against Florida.
Injury updates
Knights coach Pete DeBoer said Thursday it’s “doubtful” goaltender Robin Lehner, left wing Max Pacioretty and right wing Reilly Smith will play “in the near future.”
The trio are some of the most important players on the Knights’ lengthy injury list. Lehner (lower-body) and Smith (undisclosed) have missed the team’s past five games. Pacioretty has been out the past three after exiting a 5-2 loss to Pittsburgh on March 11 in the second period.
DeBoer said there’s some “ambiguity” in regards to when any will be available again. That could affect the Knights’ plans before Monday’s trade deadline.
“It’s a case where some of those guys are going to skate, see how it is and either it could be week to week or it could be day to day,” DeBoer said. “There’s that much of a swing in some of those cases.”
The Knights did get two players off injured reserve Thursday. Center Brett Howden (undisclosed) and left wing Mattias Janmark (upper-body) returned against the Panthers. Defenseman Nic Hague (undisclosed) did not play. Center Jack Eichel did not return for the third period with an upper-body injury.
The Knights’ remaining injured players are captain Mark Stone (back), defenseman Alec Martinez (facial laceration) and defenseman Brayden McNabb (undisclosed). Defenseman Ben Hutton is in COVID-19 protocol.
Knights’ next 10
Vs. Los Angeles, 1 p.m. Saturday
At Minnesota, 5 p.m. Monday
At Winnipeg, 5 p.m. March 22
Vs. Nashville, 7 p.m. March 24
Vs. Chicago, noon March 26
At Seattle, 7 p.m. March 30
At Seattle, 7 p.m. April 1
At Vancouver, 4 p.m. April 3
Vs. Vancouver, 7 p.m. April 6
Vs. Arizona, 7 p.m. April 9
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
