Knights lose 2 defensemen to injury before Sabres game
The Golden Knights could have at least one new face on the blue line for their final game before the All-Star break.
Defensemen Nic Hague and Zach Whitecloud each were ruled out of Tuesday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres at T-Mobile Arena, according to coach Pete DeBoer, forcing the Knights to reach deep into their prospect pool for possible solutions.
”We’ve got some options there, and we’re probably going to have to use at least one of them and maybe more,” DeBoer said following practice Monday.
Hague is considered day to day, and it’s unclear whether the current ailment is related to the wrist injury that shelved him for nine games between Dec. 21 and Jan. 20. He returned from COVID-19 protocol last week and appeared in all four games on the Knights’ road trip.
In Saturday’s 3-2 shootout win over Tampa Bay, Hague logged 16:40 of ice time but didn’t take a shift for the final 3:36 of regulation or overtime.
Whitecloud played 15:57 against the Lightning on Saturday and ended his final shift with 2:48 remaining in the third period. He missed the games against Montreal (Jan. 20) and Washington (Jan. 24) because of back spasms, according to DeBoer, and also underwent surgery for a broken right hand in late October.
The Knights are without defenseman Dylan Coghlan, who remains in COVID-19 protocol. Defenseman Alec Martinez has been practicing with the team for close to two weeks after myriad injuries and illness, but DeBoer said Monday he remains out.
“It’s been kind of one of those years where guys are going down and guys got to step up,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “It’s more adversity. It’s nothing new to us. We’ve handled it great, and we’re going to continue to do it.”
To fill their roster spots, the Knights recalled defensemen Kaedan Korczak, Daniil Miromanov and Brayden Pachal from the American Hockey League.
With four healthy regulars available on defense, DeBoer said at least one of Monday’s callups is likely to play against the Sabres.
Miromanov has appeared in six games with the Knights, registering one assist. His most recent outing was Jan. 20 against Montreal.
Korczak, who turned 21 on Saturday, has yet to play an NHL game. He was a second-round pick in 2019 and represented Canada at the World Junior Championship in 2020.
DeBoer called the 6-foot-3-inch, 202-pound Korczak the best young defenseman in training camp, but he’s battled injuries with the Silver Knights.
“He was really I thought going to be knocking on the door for a job right off the bat,” DeBoer said. “He says he’s healthy. We’d be excited to see him.”
Pachal, 22, has spent three seasons with the organization after signing as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He was named captain of the Silver Knights on Jan. 20.
“The one thing I’ve learned is the recommendations from down there have been spot on this year,” DeBoer said. “That’s why you see those guys out there.”
Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.