NHL Game Day: Injured Golden Knights take on Blues; and Flyers host Bruins in today’s action
The Daily Goal Horn
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The Vegas Golden Knights will be without their two top scorers from last season when they face the undefeated St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
Left winger Max Pacioretty, who had 24 goals and 27 assists in 48 games in 2020-21, will be sidelined up to six weeks with a broken left ankle sustained in the team’s 6-2 loss at Los Angeles on Thursday.
Right winger Mark Stone, who led the team with the team with 40 assists and 61 points in 55 games, is also sidelined due to a lower-body injury.
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NHL Game Day: Knights host Blues (10 PM ET)
The Golden Knights were already without winger Alex Tuch, who tied for third on the squad with 18 goals last season but is sidelined until at least January after undergoing shoulder surgery on July 30.
Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said that Stone, who appeared to have his right knee buckle while attempting an awkward shot, is “probably between day-to-day and week-to-week.”
“He went and saw some doctors (Monday). Nothing surgical, which is good. … Good news for the most part.”
Golden Knights center Mattias Janmark also remains out while on the NHL’s COVID-19 protocol. However, forwards Nicolas Roy (undisclosed), Brett Howden (lower body) and William Carrier (concussion) returned to practice during the team’s five-day break and are expected to play Wednesday night.
Forwards Peyton Krebs, a first round pick in 2019, and Jake Leschyshyn were also recalled from nearby Henderson (Nev.) of the American Hockey League.
St. Louis will be finishing off a three-game road trip to begin the season. It began with a 5-3 victory over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday. The Blues earned a 7-4 win over the Arizona Coyotes on Monday, with St. Louis scoring five goals in a 5:07 span in the second period to build a 6-2 lead.
Jordan Kyrou had two goals and two assists and Klim Kostin, taking the place of healthy scratch James Neal on the fourth line, scored two goals over a 47-second span to lead St. Louis. Kostin’s scores were the two fastest goals by a Blues player since Keith Tkachuk scored twice in 33 seconds against the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 1, 2001.
“It’s crazy at the start of every year, but this is a good start to the season for us,” St. Louis forward Tyler Bozak said. “Two big wins, and we’ve got to keep it rolling.”
The Blues will be without forward Pavel Buchnevich on Wednesday as the NHL handed him a two-game suspension for headbutting Arizona forward Lawson Crouse on Monday. Buchnevich also will miss St. Louis’ home opener against the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday.
Flyers host Bruins (7:30 PM ET)
The Philadelphia Flyers will look to open the season with points in three consecutive games when they host the Boston Bruins on Wednesday.
The Flyers began the season with one point in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Vancouver Canucks and then throttled the expansion Seattle Kraken 6-1 on Monday.
Eleven different Flyers picked up at least one point, and goaltender Carter Hart stopped 23 of 24 shots in the impressive five-goal victory.
“We’ve got a good group here. We have fun at the rink,” Hart said. “But we know when it’s time to go to work.”
Philadelphia’s 6-foot-4 defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen appears to be on target to return from an upper body injury. He practiced Sunday and participated in Monday’s morning skate.
Head coach Alain Vigneault wouldn’t officially commit to Ristolainen’s return, labeling him “day-to-day.”
The Bruins will be searching for their second consecutive victory to open the season following a 3-1 win over the Dallas Stars last Saturday. Brad Marchand scored two goals – a penalty shot and an empty net goal which sealed the victory.
“It just dragged on,” Marchand said, referring to training camp. “But I think with the group we have – we’ve bonded so quick already and really come together quickly. I think we’re all really excited to see what we’re gonna do this year, how it’s gonna play out.”
Like Hart, the Bruins also feature a solid young goaltender in 22-year-old Jeremy Swayman. He finished last season with a 7-3-0 record and then stopped 27 of 28 shots against the Stars last Saturday.
“Going into it, I just wanted to treat it like another game, no bigger or smaller than what I’ve played before,” Swayman said. “Now, I do realize the magnitude of it, and it’s pretty special, something I’ll never forget. I think it’s gonna be a really fun year.”
“I love that kid,” Marchand added of Swayman. “He’s such a good person in the room and off the ice. He fits in great, he’s so genuine and he’s been very calm from the first day he’s been here.”
–Field Level Media