Golden Knights’ Will Carrier celebrates promotion with goal

LOS ANGELES — Forward Will Carrier’s steady play for the Golden Knights earned him a promotion Saturday.

The move paid immediate dividends.

Carrier redirected a shot from Cody Eakin into the Los Angeles net 4:55 into the game for the Knights’ first goal in a 4-1 win over the Kings at Staples Center.

It was Carrier’s eighth goal and ninth point this season, both career highs for the third-year forward who was a second-round pick of St. Louis in 2013. He had five goals and three assists in his rookie year for Buffalo two seasons ago.

Carrier had a goal and two assists for Vegas last season.

“Well, I’m still young,” he said, laughing, about setting career marks. “It’s all based on confidence, and the more you have, the better you play. I keep trying to work on that, and it’s working for me right now.”

While coach Gerard Gallant doesn’t like to adhere to his lines as a hierarchy of ability, Carrier’s move from the fourth line to the third appeared to be a vote of confidence for a player who has earned more minutes.

He skated with Eakin and Ryan Carpenter on Saturday.

“The bottom six forwards all play the same way,” Carrier said. “I’m just trying to bring the same things I was bringing to the fourth line. Play physical and really get on the forecheck and try to go from there.”

Gallant said he liked what he saw from the group.

“Will just plays his game,” Gallant said. “He doesn’t change whether he’s playing on the so-called fourth line or up on the third line. He goes up and down, he bangs bodies and goes to the net. He got that first goal for us today. That was good for him.”

Tomas Nosek took Carrier’s spot on the fourth line with Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Ryan Reaves.

Roster moves

The Knights claimed forward Valentin Zykov off waivers from the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday. The team said the 23-year-old would “join the team at a later date due to potential immigration delays.”

Gallant said he doesn’t know when to expect Zykov, who has 11 points in 30 career NHL games.

We made a waiver claim today 👀

We've claimed Valentin Zykov! 😁

He's expected to join the team at a later date due to potential immigration delays.#VegasBorn https://t.co/fB9Ywq3fCJ

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 29, 2018

Zykov, a St. Petersburg, Russia, native, was a second-round pick by the Los Angles Kings in 2013.

To make room on the roster, the Knights put defenseman Colin Miller, who has missed five straight games because of an undisclosed injury, on injured reserve. Gallant said he didn’t have a timetable for Miller’s return.

Dad’s trip

The Knights are 3-0 with their fathers on the road with them after winning both games during their dad’s trip to Nashville and Dallas last season.

This year’s trip, which continues Sunday at the Arizona Coyotes, got a boost with the presence of Lars Karlsson. He couldn’t accompany his son William last season, but the newly retired Karlsson traveled from Sweden to join the team.

“He’s always very supportive,” William Karlsson said. “It’s always good to have him here, especially coming all the way from Sweden.”