Pete DeBoer takes blame for Alex Tuch’s fluctuating ice time

Alex Tuch’s ice time has fluctuated wildly through six games, with Sunday’s victory at Arizona marking the third time the Golden Knights winger has logged fewer than 15 minutes of action.

Coach Pete DeBoer said the blame falls on him, not Tuch.

“I’d like to get him on the ice a little more than I have. That’s on me,” DeBoer said Monday. “I think he’s done a great job.”

Tuch is off to a strong start with five points in six games, including the secondary assist on William Karlsson’s winning goal with 42.7 seconds left Sunday.

Arizona coach Rick Tocchet said after the game he thought Tuch iced the puck when he dumped it into the Coyotes’ zone ahead of the goal.

Tuch was asked about the play after practice at City National Arena and believes he gained the red line.

“At that point in the game, that close of a call I don’t think they’re going to make,” Tuch said.

Tuch played 14:10 Sunday, just off his season low of 14:06 in the season opener, despite the Knights producing 84.6 percent of the shot attempts when the third line was on the ice.

Maybe not coincidentally, his best games have come when the Knights lineup includes 12 forwards and six defensemen. Tuch played 17:59 and 19:16 in the two games at T-Mobile Arena against Arizona and had a goal and two assists with six shots on goal combined.

“I think at times I’ve been a little inconsistent, especially in the first game in Arizona,” Tuch said. “It’s good that I was there at the regular-season opener for once. First time in four years, and I want to continue that and just stay healthy and work hard and try to grind out as many wins as possible.”

Looking sharp

Goalie Robin Lehner finally debuted his new equipment during practice Monday at City National Arena after keeping it under wraps during the road trip to Arizona.

Unlike the white gear Lehner’s worn for most of his time with the Knights, this setup is black. The leg pads have a gold V through the middle and feature the silhouette of a knight holding a sword in the negative space.

A portion of the red star from the Knights’ secondary logo is visible at the top of the glove and blocker.

This is the third setup Lehner has worn with the Knights since being acquired in February.

Russian signs

Forward Pavel Dorofeyev, a third-round pick in the 2019 draft, signed a three-year entry-level contract and was assigned to the Silver Knights of the American Hockey League.

Dorofeyev made one appearance in the Kontinental Hockey League with Traktor Chelyabinsk this season and recorded 17 points in 36 games for Chelmet Chelyabinsk in Russia’s second division. He terminated his contract with the club last week.

Previously, Dorofeyev had nine points in 71 KHL games for Megallurg Magnitogorsk from 2018 to 2020 and helped Russia take home the silver mdeal at the 2020 World Junior Championship.

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.