VHN Daily: Lehner says his peace; Carrier hurt in win vs. Avs

It was a good news-bad news kind of day Tuesday for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Let’s start with the good news. The Knights defeated Colorado 7-4 in Denver and rookie forward Peyton Krebs made a strong case for sticking on the opening night roster with a goal and three assists.

The other good news? Robin Lehner spoke to the media about his recent Tweet-fest last weekend and explained why he felt he needed to speak out. Lehner said he talked to both the NHL and the NHL Players Association and any further conversations on issues he addressed on Twitter will stay private going forward.

Lehner has plenty of support. New York Islanders coach Barry Trotz is squarely in Lehner’s corner as Christian Arnold reports, saying “Robin is a passionate person who has strength.” 

Now the bad news. Forward William Carrier took a skate to the face in the second period and did not return. Carrier was skating in Jonathan Marchessault’s spot on the Knights’ “Misfit Line” with William Karlsson and Reilly Smith when Kurtis MacDermid accidentally kicked Carrier with his skate. We should learn more today on Carrier’s status.

Around the National Hockey Now Network:

ColoradoHockeyNow: The Golden Knights weren’t alone in being bit by the injury bug Tuesday. The Avalanche may be without backup goalie Pavel Francouz after he appeared to injure his right leg or hip in the second period.

SanJoseHockeyNow: More hot water for Evander Kane? Now the NHL is looking into allegations Kane obtained a fake vaccination card to gain access to the Sharks’ facilities. He has not played in the preseason while the league looks into charges of domestic violence against him.

PittsburghHockeyNow: Is Kasperi Kapanen ready to become a big-time player for the Penguins? Our Dan Kingerski says Kapanen is getting every opportunity to prove it.

FloridaHockeyNow: It was Fight Night in Orlando as skirmishes broke out all over the place in the Panthers’ 3-2 win over the Lightning. Boxing, er, hockey writer George Richards reports it was costly for the Cats as Noel Acciari was hurt during one of the fights.  

WashingtonHockeyNow: The Capitals have some healthy competition taking place to fill out their forward lines. Sammi Silber said Connor McMichael and Hendrix Lapierre are making a strong push to make the team.

VancouverHockeyNow: The Canucks were shut out at home by the Seattle Kraken Tuesday night. But our Rob Simpson said Vasily Podkolzin was a bright spot and Canucks coach Travis Green had high praise for the team’s 2019 first-round draft pick.