‘He’s hot right now’: Fast start has Knights defenseman among NHL’s best

Two flubbed passes in one period made Shea Theodore swap sticks on the bench Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The one the Golden Knights defenseman took on the ice with him for his next shift was the same model, but brought a different feel. Theodore scored a game-tying goal with it in the third period against the Blackhawks, rescuing a point for the Knights in a 4-3 overtime loss.

“I was a little frustrated with the one,” Theodore said. “I think I made the right switch at the right time.”

That’s the way it’s been going for Theodore so far this season. He can have a poor decision or poor period, but it never seems to last long before he’s making an impact again. His 10 points are tied for the third-most among NHL defensemen, and he also scored the shootout winner in the Knights’ last game against Montreal.

“He’s hot right now,” right wing Jonathan Marchessault said. “It’s just like any NHL player. When you’re hot, it’s trying to surf the wave as long as you can. He’s doing good.”

The Knights have seen incredible stretches like this before from Theodore.

He finished sixth in the Norris Trophy voting for the NHL’s best defensemen in back-to-back years in 2020 and 2021. He could have received consideration again last season if he didn’t miss 27 games with injuries. His 41 points in 55 games put him well on pace to exceed his career high of 52.

Coach Bruce Cassidy still thinks the 28-year-old has been more dynamic this year. He believes Theodore can move laterally as well as any defenseman in the NHL, and may be the best among left shots (Colorado’s Cale Makar, the 2022 Norris Trophy winner, is a righty).

Theodore has the rare ability to take a few quick steps and juke a defender out of his skates. He put that on display on his lone goal of the Stanley Cup Final, dancing around right wing Anthony Duclair at the point in the Knights’ 5-2 win in Game 1.

He’s continued to do that this season. Theodore has three goals so far and keeps finding shooting lanes to funnel pucks to the net.

“He wants to be a difference-maker, especially on the O-zone blue line,” Cassidy said. “(He takes) two strides, he’s in the clear, either down the wall or into the middle. I think he’s done that as well as I’ve ever seen him.”

Theodore’s offensive gifts have him tied for second on the Knights in points in the early going.

His defensive work has been solid as well. He’s not the most physical player — his partner Brayden McNabb takes care of that on their pair — but he uses his strong skating to close off a lot of plays in the neutral zone. He shuts down dangerous rush chances for the other team before opposing skaters even get the chance to enter the Knights’ zone.

The results have been impressive so far.

McNabb leads the team and is tied for second in the NHL with a plus-8 rating at five-on-five. Theodore and right wing Michael Amadio are tied for second on the Knights at plus-7, and tied for sixth in the league.

Some of that comes down to the fact that Theodore is just shooting a hot stick right now — whether he needs to change it mid-period or not. His teammates aren’t complaining. They just want him to keep it going.

“He carries us,” McNabb said. “I’m just there to help out.”

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