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Vegas Golden Knights Issue Injury Updates

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The Vegas Golden Knights will be without a trio of key players in a pivotal divisional matchup tomorrow against the Edmonton Oilers. The team announced that forward Reilly Smith and goalie Logan Thompson have left their road trip and returned to Vegas to be evaluated for injuries, while defenseman Alec Martinez has returned to Vegas for personal reasons.

Both Smith and Thompson left last night’s win against the Calgary Flames with injuries. Smith did not return to the game after taking a hit along the boards from Flames forward Walker Duehr, while Thompson left late in the third period with a lower-body injury, potentially reaggravating the ailment that had kept him out for almost 20 games. It’s not a good sign for either that they needed to depart the road trip early to receive evaluations.

They’ll also be without Martinez for an unknown length of time, which is no small absence. Martinez has been critical this season, recording 13 points in 67 games and leading the team with a +21 rating on the top pairing alongside Alex Pietrangelo. Smith has again been one of Vegas’ most consistent scorers, tallying 51 points in 71 games.

Vegas has a tough schedule ahead of them, with four of their next five games against the red-hot Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota Wild. They’ll need netminders Jonathan Quick and Laurent Brossoit, who’ve both been good for Vegas in limited samples this year, to carry their weight to keep Vegas’ cushion atop the Pacific Division.

West Notes: Thompson, Kurashev, Canucks

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Despite a big win for the Vegas Golden Knights against a divisional rival last night, there was a concerning setback near the end of the game. Goalie Logan Thompson, who was making his first appearance in 18 games after being sidelined with a left leg injury, left the team’s 3-2 win against the Calgary Fames with a lower-body injury.

Thompson left the game with less than 10 minutes remaining after making 37 saves on 39 shots. He was replaced by Jonathan Quick, who stopped all five shots he faced, helping the Golden Knights extend their lead atop the Western Conference. The team has not yet issued an update on Thompson’s status, but it’s something to watch out for in the coming days as the Pacific Division leaders approach the playoffs without the full health of their starter. It’s worth noting that in Thompson’s absence, Quick has been much-improved since joining the Golden Knights, posting a 5-1-0 record and a .908 save percentage.

More updates from the Western Conference on Friday:

Injury Updates: Golden Knights Goalies, Makar, Aho

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While the Vegas Golden Knights have maintained their place in contention for the Pacific Division title this season, it hasn’t been an easy road for them, especially in the crease. Injuries to the team’s stable of goaltenders (starting way back over the summer when Robin Lehner underwent hip surgery) forced them to acquire the legendary Jonathan Quick from the Columbus Blue Jackets and has also forced Jiri Patera, who spent time in the ECHL last season, to make two starts. Thankfully for Vegas, though, it seems there could be a light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to the health of their goaltenders.

As relayed by Ben Gotz of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy has revealed that all three of Quick,  Logan Thompson, and Laurent Brossoit are traveling with the team on their three-game road trip. As a result of that trio nearing a return to the ice, the team sent Patera back to their AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. The return of Thompson in particular would come as a major boost to Vegas, as he had been the team’s number-one goalie before going down with an injury. He has posted a .914 save percentage in 36 games, and should he hit the ground running upon his return to the ice is in pole position to be the team’s playoff starter.

  • While he remains a player widely considered the best defenseman in the NHL, injuries have proved to be a roadblock for the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar, and have caused him to fall behind in the Norris Trophy race when compared to players such as the San Jose Sharks’ Erik Karlsson. While he has thankfully seemed to put the concussion issues that sidelined him earlier this year behind him, there’s a new injury for him to deal with. Per the Denver Post’s Bennett Durando, Makar is out day-to-day with a lower-body injury. Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar said that the injury is “nothing too serious,” and that he is being held out for tonight’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks as a precautionary measure. Makar has scored 61 points in 55 games this season and leads all NHLers in time-on-ice per game, averaging 26:36 TOI per game.
  • New York Islanders defenseman Sebastian Aho left last night’s New York Islanders game with an injury, prompting the team to recall defenseman Samuel Bolduc to fill Aho’s spot in the lineup. Newsday’s Andrew Gross has more details on Aho’s injury, reporting that the Swede is out day-to-day with an upper-body injury. This season has been a breakout one of sorts for Aho, who has flown past his career-high in games played with 66 so far and seen his average time-on-ice tick upwards. He has scored 21 points this season and will hope to return to the lineup quickly to help New York clinch a return to the playoffs.

Goalie Notes: Thompson, Brossoit, Skinner, Brkin

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As the Vegas Golden Knights took the ice for practice this morning, injured goalies Logan Thompson and Laurent Brossoit participated with the team. After a short media availability, Jesse Granger of The Athletic mentions that head coach Bruce Cassidy remains cautious on both, but that he expects both of the goalies to travel with the team in their upcoming western Canadian road trip.

Posting almost identical numbers to his first season in the NHL last year, Thompson has appeared in 36 games, going 20-13-3 with a .914 SV% and a 2.66 GAA. Brossoit on the other hand, seemingly injured for the entire season so far, has only appeared in three contests, going 1-0-2 with a .936 SV% and a 2.20 GAA. Although for most teams it would be a welcome return to have these goaltenders back in the lineup, recent trade acquisition Jonathan Quick has given the Knights a good problem to have. In 31 games this season for the Los Angeles Kings, Quick went 11-13-4 with a .876 SV% and a 3.50 GAA. Since coming over to Las Vegas, Quick has made five appearances, producing a record of 4-1-0, posting a .904 SV% and a 2.98 GAA.

Other notes:

  • After the Edmonton Oilers defeated the Seattle Kraken earlier today, the NHL announced that after securing the 29th win of his career, Stuart Skinner has broken an Oilers’ rookie goalie record, which was previously held by Oilers’ legend Grant Fuhr. After signing goaltender Jack Campbell to a 5-year, $25MM contract this past offseason, Skinner has seemingly come out of nowhere to take the net in Edmonton. This season specifically, Skinner has gone 21-14-4 in 41 appearances, producing a save percentage of .912, and a goals-against average of 2.87.
  • In correspondence with the recall of goaltender Zachary Fucale, the Hershey Bears have announced that they have signed Bailey Brkin to a professional tryout contract. Spending this season with the Iowa Heartlanders, the Wheeling Nailers, and the Reading Royals of the ECHL, Brkin has posted an overall record of 10-14-4.

Afternoon Notes: Quick To Make Vegas Debut, Bjorkstrand Practices

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Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Jonathan Quick is set to make his team debut tonight against the Montreal Canadiens, according to NHL.com.

Just as the hockey world began trying to envision Quick in a Columbus Blue Jackets jersey, he was flipped again to Vegas, a team the Los Angeles Kings likely would not have dealt him to. Quick will provide veteran leadership for rookie goalie Logan Thompson, who has shined this season in the absence of Robin Lehner. Thompson carries a .914 save percentage and 2.66 GAA with 20 wins in 36 games for Vegas, earning his first All-Star nod.

Quick has had a bit of a fall from grace in recent years, and has struggled this season, with a 3.50 GAA and .876 save percentage in 31 games, a far cry from his days as the stalwart for a defensively stingy Kings team.

“I can’t get into his head and what it means to him, but he’s here because he still wants to play,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy told NHL.com on Saturday. “He feels he can help the team win. I do know that, 100 percent. He’ll get that opportunity this little bit.”

More notes from around the NHL this afternoon:

  • Seattle Kraken winger Oliver Bjorkstrand participated in the morning skate on Sunday after leaving Friday’s win over the Columbus Blue Jackets with a lower-body injury, according to Kate Shefte of the Seattle Times. Bjorkstrand recorded an assist in his return to Columbus on Friday for the first time since being traded to the Kraken. Bjorkstrand has 33 points in 62 games for Seattle, as the Kraken head toward their first playoff appearance in franchise history.

West Notes: Kane, Landeskog, Thompson

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Rumors are flying surrounding Patrick Kane and whether he’ll be traded before the March 3rd deadline, with many speculating that the New York Rangers could be his preferred destination. Such speculation may need to hold off for a little while, though, as it still seems as though Kane hasn’t yet made a decision on his future. Kane’s agent, Pat Brisson, confirmed as much to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun, stating that “Patrick hasn’t made any decision at this point.”

Tonight has already featured a significant trade, with the Boston Bruins acquiring two key veterans from the Washington Capitals. Kane could end up the star of this trade deadline season, but seeing as he is in full control of his playing future, any developments will come on a timeline he prefers. We still have a little bit of time before the trade deadline fully hits, although it is definitely possible that the longer he waits, the more likely it is that potentially interested contending teams decide they need to play things safe and explore backup plans.

  • On TSN’s Insider Trading program, LeBrun reported that Colorado Avalanche forward Gabriel Landeskog’s true timeline in his return from injury remains “unclear.” The Avalanche do not yet have a firm sense of when he’ll be ready to return to the lineup, and that uncertainty has major trade deadline implications. As long as there remains the possibility of Landeskog returning in this regular season, the Avalanche cannot use Landeskog’s salary on long-term injured reserve to add to their roster, since they would not have the cap space to activate Landeskog once healthy. If nothing else, the Avalanche will be hoping for some more clarity on Landeskog’s timeline in these next few days so they can really shore up their deadline plans.
  • Vegas Golden Knights netminder Logan Thompson has been placed on injured reserve, as reported by the Las Vegas Sun’s Danny Webster. Thompson has been out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, so this news should come as no surprise. What it does do is make Thompson’s injury absence official from a roster perspective, clearing a spot on the 23-man unit for the team to work with.

Logan Thompson Out Week-To-Week, Vegas Recalls Laurent Brossoit

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Vegas Golden Knights All-Star netminder Logan Thompson is out week-to-week with a lower-body injury sustained Thursday against the Minnesota Wild, reports Danny Webster of the Las Vegas Sun. The team announced Saturday morning that Laurent Brossoit has been recalled from the AHL’s Henderson Silver Knights to stand in.

Thompson, 25, has been one of the best feel-good stories in the NHL over the past calendar year. Taking over the starting role late last season, Thompson played exceptionally well as the injury-stricken Golden Knights battled to make the playoffs but ultimately failed. It’s a different story this year, as Thompson, now the full-time starter, has the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division lead with a .914 save percentage and a 20-13-3 record in 36 games.

Thompson was credited with winning Vegas’ 5-1 win against the Wild Thursday but left the game early in the third period. Moving to his left, attempting to make a save on a flurry of plays, he appeared to strain something in his left leg and was helped off the ice.

In the interim, the starting role now falls to Adin Hill, who’s had an inconsistent first year in Vegas. He’s been on the upswing lately, though, a good sign for a Golden Knights team that can’t fall back in a tight Pacific race. Hill has a .909 save percentage and an 11-5-1 record in 20 games.

Brossoit comes up from Henderson after slipping to third on Vegas’ goalie depth chart after backing up Robin Lehner for most of last season. Injured to start the 2022-23 season, he was waived and assigned to Henderson after the strong play of Thompson and Hill. Now in his potential first NHL opportunity this season, Brossoit has two shutouts, a .909 save percentage, and an 8-11-3 record in the minors.

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