Knights could get leading goal scorer back against Rangers
Ivan Barbashev’s absence has thrown off the Golden Knights’ lineup more than Bruce Cassidy would have liked.
Injuries happen, and the coach understands that it’s his job to find the right line combinations. Losing your top goal scorer and the complement to one of the best top lines in the league can drastically alter things.
Cassidy may not have to worry about that any longer.
The Golden Knights could have their leading goal scorer (15) back in the lineup for Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers after Barbashev missed the past 10 games with an upper-body injury.
Cassidy officially called Barbashev, who was a full-contact participant at practice Friday, a game-time decision. He took part in line rushes with linemates Jack Eichel and captain Mark Stone.
“We’ll anticipate that he’ll play tomorrow,” Cassidy said. “He looked good today. I haven’t heard anything negative about today. We have to wait until tomorrow to see if he’s feeling ready to go. It’ll be his call, but that’s how we’re trending.”
Barbashev left late in the first period of the Knights’ 3-2 win over Minnesota on Dec. 15 when he was taken down in the right circle by Wild forward Marcus Foligno.
Barbashev played one more shift after the collision but didn’t return.
He was listed as day-to-day when the Knights returned home, but didn’t respond well to the pain while skating on his own.
Center Nic Roy joined Barbashev as a full-go at practice, but the fourth-line center will not play Saturday. Roy has also missed the past 10 games with an upper-body injury that he suffered in the third period against Minnesota.
Still rolling
The good news for the Knights is losing Barbashev didn’t impact them offensively.
They went 8-2-0 without their top-line left winger while averaging 3.50 goals per game, good for seventh-best in the league in that span. The Knights had 16 players score a goal since Dec. 16, including a team-high five from Stone.
Stone and Eichel still kept pace offensively without their complementary forward, each totaling 11 points in the past 10 games.
The Knights tried different avenues in replacing Barbashev, starting with scoring wingers Pavel Dorofeyev and Victor Olofsson. While skilled, they lack the physical attributes of playing along the walls to get the puck to Eichel or Stone.
Tanner Pearson was a serviceable stopgap with three points in the past four games, but he was a minus-2 in Thursday’s 4-0 loss to the New York Islanders and had a blue-line turnover that led to New York’s second goal.
“I’ve tried to use different guys to see, ‘Can they fit? Can they move up in these situations?’ Throw a guy a bone sometimes because (Eichel and Stone) play a lot of minutes,” Cassidy said. “That’s the biggest part is it’s upset the other lines and what they’re able to do.”
Getting top line back
Barbashev’s physicality on the forecheck is something the Knights have missed in Cassidy’s eyes. Pearson has some of those qualities, but Barbashev’s ability to crash the net will be a welcome element.
The Knights have handled injuries well this season. Stone missed 14 games from Nov. 8 to Dec. 4 with a pulled muscle, but the Knights went 8-4-2 in that span.
Missing Roy and Barbashev, two key pieces in the forechecking department, have tested the Knights’ depth. Getting at least one back should be a boost as the Knights try to rebound from a disappointing result Thursday.
“Him, Jack and Stoney were arguably one of the best lines in hockey for a long stretch,” right wing Keegan Kolesar said. “I think it’s tough to expect him to get back right to his form before the injury. In saying that, I think the guys he’s playing with will help him get back to where he used to be.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.