GAME DAY: Shea Theodore to make preseason debut for Golden Knights
Defenseman Shea Theodore will make his preseason debut when the Golden Knights open a three-game homestand Wednesday against the Colorado Avalanche at T-Mobile Arena.
Opening faceoff is 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on KTNV-13.
Theodore announced Sept. 12 he was treated for testicular cancer this summer. He missed the opening week of training camp after suffering an undisclosed injury during testing that was unrelated to his diagnosis.
“Any time you have that much time off, it’s definitely good to get in and get the legs going and get the feel of it,” Theodore said following morning skate Wednesday. “We’ve had a couple good practices here and I’ve done a couple conditioning skates after just to make sure my fitness level is there. I feel good. I feel ready to play those minutes.”
The Knights are coming off a 3-1 victory at rival San Jose on Saturday and are unbeaten in four exhibition games, having outscored the opposition, 17-5.
Goaltender Malcolm Subban will make his second start of the preseason. He had 28 saves in a 6-2 victory over Arizona in the opener Sept. 15.
Center Paul Stastny also is expected to make his first appearance of the preseason.
Several players on the bubble looking to make an impression before another round of roster cuts are in the projected lineup, including forwards Patrick Brown, Reid Duke, Cody Glass, Keegan Kolesar, Curtis McKenzie and Nicolas Roy.
Also, all five rookie defensemen competing for a spot on the roster — Jake Bischoff, Dylan Coghlan, Nic Hague, Jimmy Schuldt and Zach Whitecloud — are expected to dress.
“In a perfect world, you’d like to be able to get as close to your team as you can the closer to get to the start of the regular season, but we’ll see how it plays out,” assistant coach Mike Kelly said.
This is the second matchup between the clubs during the preseason, with the Knights winning 5-0 on Sept. 17 at Pepsi Center in Denver. The Avalanche are coming off a 3-2 shootout victory Sunday against Minnesota.
Center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare practiced Tuesday after dealing with a minor lower-body injury for the past week, but it’s unclear whether he will be in the lineup.
Bellemare spent two seasons with the Knights before signing as a free agent with Colorado in the offseason.
Golden Knights projected lineup
Forwards
Jonathan Marchessault-William Karlsson-Mark Stone
Brandon Pirri-Paul Stastny-Cody Glass
Curtis McKenzie-Reid Duke-Keegan Kolesar
William Carrier-Nicolas Roy-Patrick Brown
Defensemen
Nic Hague-Shea Theodore
Jimmy Schuldt-Zach Whitecloud
Jake Bischoff-Dylan Coghlan
Goaltenders
Malcolm Subban
Dylan Ferguson
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Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.