The John Tortorella era is in full effect and it’s already bringing some memorable moments. During Tortorella’s post-practice press conference on Wednesday, a reporter asked if he could share a moment of laughter on the ice during practice without any explanation. He answered clearly, “No.”
Welcome to the Golden Knights Notebook, a look at all things Golden Knights. With the regular season entering its final stretch, things could get interesting for the Golden Knights – and indeed the entire NHL, especially in both wild-card races.
The Anaheim Ducks lost a thrilling matchup to the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday night, and the Golden Knights remain five points behind the Ducks and three points behind the Edmonton Oilers.
How the top three shake out in the Pacific Division is yet to be determined, but it will come down to the wire. Now let’s come to the news.
Carter Hart will start Thursday against the Calgary Flames
On February 24, Hart was placed on long-term injured reserve (LTIR) and returned to skating two weeks later, but is now back. According to Danny Webster, he will get the starting nod tonight against the Flames.
“Carter and I have a really good relationship,” Tortorella said during practice Thursday. “The year he had to stop playing in the NHL, I think the Philly team would have been in the playoffs by six or seven points with how well he was playing. He’s really turned into a good professional and I love that kid. I think he’s got a good heart, no pretense intended.”
Hart and Tortorella spent time together in Philadelphia with the Flyers, and now, the two have reunited in Vegas in a unique circumstance, to say the least.
This season, Hart has split time between the Henderson Silver Knights and the Golden Knights. He has recorded an .871 save percentage with a 3.28 goals-against average in 12 games at the NHL level.
His last game was on January 8 against the Columbus Blue Jackets, when he left the game midway through the first period due to an injury. Now, almost three months later, he is back on the crease.
Is there a change in the line?
When head coach Bruce Cassidy was fired, many thought that Tortorella’s arrival would bring about a lot of changes, but in reality, that has not been the case.
First of all, since the season is nearing its end, it is difficult to make any major changes. This is absolutely not possible. However, Tortorella, as he becomes more comfortable, may begin to make some adjustments to the lineup.
“I don’t think we need to take advantage of anything,” Tortorella said during practice Wednesday. “With an experienced team and the position we are in right now in the standings, we don’t have to worry about ourselves and focus on anything else other than taking each day one at a time.”
When he talked about Mitch Marner specifically, he said he would be “moved” along with other players on the team.
“He’s such a good player that he can be stuck in one line all the time,” Tortorella said. “Jack (Eichel) will be moved around. I’ll move some guys to different positions here depending on the pace of the game.”
More adjusted and comfortable, expect Tortorella to be more active on the bench. We’ll see what’s involved, but it will happen naturally as he becomes more familiar and the noise quiets down.
Loose pucks:
- Zach Whitecloud returns to Vegas tonight. He was sent to the Flames in the package that sent Rasmus Andersson to the Golden Knights. He has scored six points in 23 games played in Calgary.
- In response to Hart activating an LTIR, the Golden Knights sent Braden Bowman to the Silver Knights.
- As for the Silver Knights, they have been in the doldrums since the AHL All-Star break. As of April 2, they are in sixth place in the Pacific Division, but only three points behind third place.
- Pavel Dorofeyev is warming up. He has four goals and nine points in his last 10 games. He leads the Golden Knights with 34 goals.
#Heart #returns #line #coming
