Golden Knights missing five Olympians in game against Kings
The Vegas Golden Knights will be shorthanded returning from the Olympic break, as all five players who participated in Sunday’s gold-medal game will miss their first game back on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Kings, according to Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy.
The Golden Knights will be without five key players for the game in center Jack Eichel, wingers Mitch Marner and Mark Stone, and defensemen Noah Hanifin and Shea Theodore.
Marner, Stone and Theodore are still back in Las Vegas, Cassidy said. “We left them behind to give them a break, and we're hoping they'll be ready to join us (in Washington). We'll have a better idea after the game, and tomorrow, we'll discuss with them.”
Cassidy had already confirmed on Tuesday that Eichel and Hanifin will miss Wednesday’s game due to their celebration of the gold-medal win at the White House. It was a decision that made logistical sense, as the Golden Knights will play the Washington Capitals in Washington on Friday, so having the two fly three time zones West after already flying six time zones from Italy just to fly back to Washington would have been a mess.
However, it wasn’t confirmed until Wednesday that Marner, Stone and Theodore will also miss the game against Los Angeles. Cassidy had addressed it on Tuesday, but said they wouldn’t know their status until Wednesday.
Cassidy cited the reason for the three Canadians also missing the game as wanting to give them a rest after playing a hard-fought tournament and the travel home. He also said he’s hoping the three players will be ready to join the team when they play Washington on Friday.
The absences will be even more felt on top of the pre-existing injuries on this Golden Knights team, as they are also without centers Brett Howden and William Karlsson and goaltender Carter Hart. As a result, they’re without four top-six forwards, a top-nine forward, two of their top defensemen and their backup goaltender for Wednesday’s game.
Unsurprisingly, the absences have put the Golden Knights’ lineup in disarray. Brayden McNabb, Brandon Saad and Colton Sissons will return to the lineup on the third line after recovering from injuries, while Dylan Coghlan and Tanner Laczynski will be entering the lineup in place of the five players.
Up front, Vegas’ first and third line will be combined to replace Stone and Eichel, Laczynski will replace Marner on the second line, while Saad and Sissons will join Alex Holtz on the third line. On defense, Lauzon and Rasmus Andersson will combine for the top pair after previously playing with Theodore and Hanifin respectively, while McNabb and Coghlan will make up the second pair.
The Golden Knights currently find themselves in first place in the Pacific Division with a 27-16-14 record. They’ll look to start the post-Olympic stretch off on a good note when they visit the Kings on Wednesday at 7 p.m. PT.