Golden Knights report: Defenseman enters COVID protocol

Golden Knights at Blue Jackets

Blue Jackets win 6-4

RJ’s three stars

3. Knights left wing Jonathan Marchessault — He’s been a bright spot during an awful stretch. He had a goal and an assist to give him 12 points his past nine games.

2. Blue Jackets left wing Oliver Bjorkstrand — He had a goal and three assists for his second four-point game. Columbus outscored the Knights 4-1 with his line on the ice at five-on-five.

1. Blue Jackets center Cole Sillinger — The rookie got his first hat trick in his 57th NHL game. The 18-year-old is the fourth active player to record a hat trick before turning 19, along with Patrik Laine, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Jordan Staal.

Key stat

4:30 — How long the Knights led Sunday’s game.

The team went up 2-1 when left wing William Carrier scored 7:23 into the first period. It was the Knights’ first lead of their road trip, and it came in their fourth game.

Key play

Sillinger’s game-tying goal.

The rookie’s first tally was a major swing. Blue Jackets defenseman Dean Kukan dumped the puck in from the neutral zone, and Bjorkstrand gave chase. Knights defensemen Nic Hague and Shea Theodore skated below the goal line with Bjorkstrand charging in. Neither got the puck, but Bjorkstrand did.

The left wing shoveled a quick pass in front of the net. Sillinger, left uncovered with both defenseman’s attention elsewhere, redirected the feed past rookie goaltender Logan Thompson to tie the game.

It was the first of four straight goals for the Blue Jackets, which gave them a 5-2 lead.

Hutton in COVID-19 protocol

The Knights were down yet another player before puck drop.

The team announced defenseman Ben Hutton had entered COVID-19 protocol. Defenseman Daniil Miromanov took Hutton’s spot in the lineup.

Hutton has 10 points in 39 games. He’s been impressive since joining the team Oct. 28 and signed a two-year, $1.7 million extension March 5.

The Knights have five players on injured reserve — captain Mark Stone, left wing Mattias Janmark, center Brett Howden and defensemen Alec Martinez and Brayden McNabb. Right wing Reilly Smith and goaltender Robin Lehner have not played the past three games with undisclosed injuries. Left wing Max Pacioretty left Friday’s loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second period with an undisclosed injury and didn’t play Sunday.

Prospect drops puck

Knights prospect Artur Cholach took part in a ceremonial faceoff before the Heritage Classic between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres on Sunday.

Cholach, whom the Knights picked in the sixth round of the 2021 draft, was born in Lviv, Ukraine. The defenseman is one of 28 Ukranian nationals ever picked in the draft and the only one selected in the past six years.

Cholach represented his country four months ago at the 2021 U-20 World Championship. He has 10 points in 42 games this season with the Ontario Hockey League’s Barrie Colts.

The NHL condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in a statement Feb. 28. The league suspended its relationships with its Russian business partners, paused its Russian language social and digital media sites and stopped considering Russia as a location for any international games.

The league also instructed its clubs to cut off communication with Kontinental Hockey League clubs and Russia-based agents “until further notice,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in an email to the Review-Journal.

Knights’ next 10

At Winnipeg, 5 p.m. Tuesday

Vs. Florida, 7:30 p.m. Thursday

Vs. Los Angeles, 1 p.m. Saturday

At Minnesota, 5 p.m. March 21

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

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