OK Daily: Marchand Breaks His Nose, Provorov Calls COVID The “Regular Flu”

The Vegas Golden Knights are in the midst of a lengthy break due to two of their games against Canadian teams being postponed. They will not play until next Monday when they take on the Pittsburgh Penguins at home. Thankfully there is plenty of news in the NHL to keep us company until the Golden Knight’s next game.

Vegas: The Golden Knights made some minor transactions after their overtime loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Jake Leschyshyn, Daniil Miromanov, Dylan Ferguson, Logan Thompson, and Jonas Rondbjerg have all been sent to the Henderson Silver Knights. Jiri Patera has been recalled and the Golden Knights Taxi Squad has returned.

The Golden Knights are currently without Shea Theodore, Nicolas Roy, Nolan Patrick, and Alec Martinez as they are in COVID-19 protocols. Per CapFriendly, Patrick has been activated.

There will be no practice for the Golden Knights Thursday, but there are still encouraging signs of healing with the team’s injured players. Jack Eichel skated with the Golden Knights on Tuesday for the first time since being traded to the team.

ICYMI: Golden Knights head coach Peter DeBoer will coach the Pacific Division at the 2022 NHL All-Star Game.

Also, happy “anniversary” to Mark Stone as it has now been one year since Stone has been named the first captain of the Golden Knights.

One year ago today, Mark Stone was named the first captain in franchise history 💯

“Express” your gratitude for Stoney with your favorite GIF 😎#VegasBorn | @MStoner61 pic.twitter.com/leMcUIhoh8

— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) January 13, 2022

NHL News, Trade Rumors, and National Hockey Now

Philly: Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov is upset with the NHL’s COVID-19 policies and is voicing his opinion on how he has missed the last three games after testing positive. “I mean, you’re willing to play through anything, any injury, any illness. And then you get maybe the regular flu. I mean, not even,” Provorov said.

Washington: Superstar sniper Alex Ovechkin missed practice on Thursday due to precautionary reasons and an upper-body injury. Ovechkin has not missed a game this season and has an astonishing 24 goals 28 assists and 52 points in 37 games played. Aliaksei Protas is filling in on the Caps’ first line with Ovechkin’s absence.

Brad Marchand is calling out Capitals forward Nic Dowd saying that his high stick was the cause of his broken nose. “Yeah, I can deal with a broken nose, and I’m just glad it wasn’t my beautiful teeth,” Marchand said postgame.

Boston: Marchand showed just how elite he was last night and scored a hat-trick in the most Brad Marchand way possible.

Also, Tuukka Rask is back, and backed up Linus Ullmark for the Bruins in the aforementioned Marchand hat-trick game. The Bruins have seen an NHL veteran return to the league after not playing all season. But expect this to be the only one as the Bruins are not expected to sign Evander Kane.

Colorado: After a controversial call and Bowen Byram leaving the game for personal reasons, the Avalanche lost to the Nashville Predators in overtime in a crazy game.

KHL: The Russian-based Kontinental Hockey League will suspend play for the next week due to an outbreak in COVID-19 cases.

Women’s Hockey: The rosters for Team Canada for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games have been unveiled with Marie-Philip Poulin, Sarah Nurse, and Natalie Spooner leading the charge.

Sportsnet: In hopes of playing for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, Eric Staal has signed a professional try-out with the Iowa Wild of the AHL which makes him eligible for the game.

Sportsnet: John Klingberg is feeling underappreciated in Dallas and has reportedly requested a trade. What is Klingberg’s value? Where could the Klingberg end up on the open market or at the trade deadline?

Sportnet: A look ahead at twelve top pending unrestricted free agents in the NHL.

Montreal: The Canadiens have claimed Rem Pitlick off waivers from the Minnesota Wild.

Detroit: Captain of the Red Wings Dylan Larkin has once again found himself on the IR. He is set to be a game-time decision Thursday night against the Winnipeg Jets.

Nicklas Lidstrom is also back in Detroit, and his presence can not be overstated as the Red Wings look to continue their rebuild in hopes of making it back to the Stanley Cup in the future.

Pittsburgh: Finally, like Neo in the Matrix, Pittsburgh Hockey Now’s Dan Kingerski got lost in a world of numbers Thursday. Kingerski breaks down the Penguins’ upcoming salary cap issues in a deep-dive look at the team.