Golden Knights’ IR List Now Includes Eichel; Vegas Golden Knights vs. Nashville Predators Preview

The hits keep on coming for the Vegas Golden Knights. Jack Eichel was put in IR on Monday and joined William Karlsson, Adin Hill, William Carrier, and Tobias Bjornfot. Shea Theodore remains on LTIR.

The Golden Knights must find a way to grind out two points Monday afternoon against the Nashville Predators.

The Vancouver Canucks have an eight-point lead over the Golden Knights in the Pacific Division. The more important number is the playoff cutline in the Western Conference. The Golden Knights have 53 points, just six points of cushion for a playoff spot. If last year’s Stanley Cup champions can not find a way to go on a run, the season is in danger of getting away from the Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights called up Brendan Brisson from the Henderson Silver Knights to ignite the team’s scoring slump hopefully. Brisson expects to be on the right wing with Michael Amadio and Paul Cotter.

Chandler Stephenson did not practice Sunday due to illness, it is unknown if he will be able to play or not.

The Nashville Predators come into today’s game 24-18-1 (49 points) and are in fourth place in the Central Division. The Predators are 5-4-1 in their last 10 games and on a two-game winning streak. Filip Forsberg leads the Predators with 48 points. Juuse Saros expects to get the start in net and is 17-15-1 with a 3.02 GAG and .901 SV%.

Defense and Goaltending Must Carry the Team

Thankfully, the defensive core is down just one player in Theodore. The Golden Knights desperately miss Theodore, but the defensive situation is better than the forward situation.

The Golden Knights have given up three or fewer goals in six of their last seven games. If the Golden Knights can keep the opposition to three or fewer goals most nights, the Golden Knights can weather the never-ending storm of injuries. If the defense falls apart, the Golden Knights will be looking at potentially missing the playoffs for the second time in seven seasons.

Where Will the Scoring Come From?

No one is directly replacing Eichel, Theodore, and Karlsson in the lineup. The Golden Knights do not need one player to carry the mail. What they need is consistent secondary scoring. Michael Amadio, Paul Cotter, Nicolas Roy, and Brett Howden have just 22 goals combined on the season. Those four players need to contribute consistently in the absence of many of the team’s stars.

Will Brisson be the savior of the middle third of the season? We will get a glimpse of what he can do this afternoon.

How to watch
Time: 3:00 P.M. PST.
TV: Vegas 34
Stream: KnightTime+
Radio: FOX Sports Las Vegas 98.9/1340