Knights forward suspended by NHL for hit in season opener

Defensemen Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud were on the ice with their teammates for the event, but didn’t play in a 4-1 win over the Seattle Kraken because of upper-body injuries. Their absences kept arguably the NHL’s deepest blue line from starting the season at full strength.

The hits haven’t stopped coming since.

Left wing William Carrier left the game in the second period with an upper-body injury and did not return. He will not travel with the Knights for Thursday’s game at San Jose.

Left wing Brett Howden received a match penalty for a high hit on Seattle right wing Brandon Tanev in the third period. He was suspended two games by the NHL on Wednesday.

That means the Knights will be down four regulars in only their second game. It’s an early setback in their quest for back-to-back Stanley Cups, but the team has shown in the past an ability to overcome adversity.

“That’s one big thing about our organization is the depth is pretty awesome,” left wing Paul Cotter said. “Guys can step in. They’ve been there in that position before.”

The Knights couldn’t have expected to be this short-handed this fast.

They entered the season knowing defensemen Ben Hutton and Brayden Pachal would need to step in for Martinez and Whitecloud. Being down two forwards as well is a whole different challenge.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said Carrier was being examined further Wednesday. Howden, who got the primary assist on the Knights’ first goal of the season, was suspended for an “illegal check to the head” after a hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. He hit Tanev with his shoulder in the neutral zone when his opponent wasn’t looking.

Tanev stayed down on the ice for more than a minute and did not return. Seattle coach Dave Hakstol did not have an update on Tanev’s status after the game.

This is Howden’s first time being suspended or fined in 280 NHL games. He will also forfeit $19,791.66, which will go to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund to help current or former players in need.

“Howden delivers a high, hard body check that makes the head the main point of contact on a hit where such head contact was avoidable,” the NHL said in a video explaining its ruling. “If Howden wants to deliver this hit, he must stay low and choose an angle that hits through Tanev’s shoulder and core rather than one that makes the head the main point of contact.”

The two absences will force the Knights to reshuffle their lines.

Cassidy said before Howden’s punishment was announced that left wing Jonas Rondbjerg would be called up from Henderson if a suspension was handed down. Left wing Pavel Dorofeyev, who scored seven goals in 18 appearances last season, will also join the lineup.

Rondbjerg can take Carrier’s spot on the fourth line, while Dorofeyev can slide in with center William Karlsson on the third. That means Cotter, the first man up to replace left wing Reilly Smith next to Karlsson on Tuesday, could get bumped up to Howden’s spot with center Chandler Stephenson and captain Mark Stone.

Cotter didn’t have a point in the Knights’ opener and was called for a slashing penalty in the first period, but he also finished with a game-high nine hits. No one else on either team had more than four.

“He was good,” Karlsson said. “When he gets some room to do what he can do, he’s going to be dangerous.”

The Knights were resilient last season. They won the Pacific Division and posted the best record in the Western Conference despite starting a franchise-record five goaltenders. They will need to carry that strength into this season to survive what has been an unexpected onslaught of injuries.

“We’ve been there and done it,” Cassidy said. “It’s less about the players coming in, more about your group’s mentality that’s not ‘Oh, here we go again’ or ‘All is lost’ because this guy’s out. I think that’s what you’re developing, is a tougher mindset for the rest of the group.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.