New faces provide spark for injury-depleted Knights
Jack Eichel didn’t have much to say to Lukas Cormier after he scored off the rookie’s first career assist in his NHL debut.
It’s exactly what Eichel expected out of the talented defenseman.
“Congrats on the first of many,” Eichel said he told Cormier.
The 2020 third-round pick gave the Golden Knights a much-needed boost as they broke out of a slump that had seen them lose six of seven with a dominant 5-2 win over the Islanders on Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena.
Cormier wasn’t the only new face in the lineup on the blue line for the Knights. Tobias Bjornfot made his organizational debut just days after he was claimed off waivers from the Kings.
He didn’t have much time to prepare for the moment after Zach Whitecloud was a late scratch with an upper-body injury, but the 2019 first-round pick acquitted himself well in the victory.
“Tobias I thought made some real good small-area plays,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Smart with the puck, put out fires with a good first pass, so to speak. Angled well. He defends with his brain and stick. He uses his body position well, but he’s not going to overpower guys. I thought he was in the right spots to do that. I liked his game a lot.”
Cassidy was equally impressed with Cormier, who jumped right into the first power-play unit. On Eichel’s goal, Cormier drifted back to the middle of the ice and created space on the right side for Eichel before dropping it to him for a blast from the point.
“It seems like a little thing, but he does force their kill to shift and makes a good play to get his first NHL point, so good for him,” Cassidy said. “Overall, I thought he played the game in front of him. He didn’t chase it, he didn’t get out of position, he’s inside the dots, things that younger guys sometimes struggle with because things can happen fast out there.”
Both of the additions helped the Knights play better than they have in weeks.
“I liked both their games and it helped our breakout get out of trouble and first pass get out of our zone, and I think that correlates to some of our offensive play,” Cassidy said. “Now you’re forechecking or at least you’re attacking, and the more you do that, the better chance you have to score.”
The infusion of new blood comes at a key time not only because the Knights had been struggling, but because they have been once again decimated by injuries.
Standout defenseman Shea Theodore has been out since Nov. 22 and still doesn’t have a timeline for his return.
The Knights were also missing forwards William Karlsson and William Carrier on Saturday and may be without them for some time.
Cassidy said he hoped to have more clarity on Carrier’s status on Monday after the Knights took Sunday off. Karlsson is week-to-week for now.
Whitecloud’s absence sounded more precautionary, and he should be back soon.
“Other than that, is there anyone else?” Cassidy joked. “Let’s keep going while we’re hot.”
Defenseman Daniil Miromanov, who has been out all season, is back skating with the team in a red noncontact jersey and could be getting closer to a return.
Defensemen Ben Hutton and Kaedan Korczak have started skating on their own as well.
Cassidy did, however, provide one big positive piece of injury news that could provide a boost to the group.
Goaltender Adin Hill, who made just one brief appearance since Nov. 30, should be back in net this week.
“He is very close,” Cassidy said. “I suspect he’ll play a game this week.”
The Knights play at Colorado in a nationally televised game Wednesday and return home to host Boston on Thursday.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.