Daily Nuggets: Golden Knights, Rivals Win; Eichel Hits Milestone

Good morning to all. The Vegas Golden Knights play the second half of a back-to-back on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Lightning. They won on Saturday; unfortunately for the Golden Knights, so did their Pacific Division rivals, the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings. Interested to know how the Golden Knights’ prospects are performing? I’ve got a recap for you.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, a three-time Stanley Cup Champion announced his retirement. It sounds like the Oilers won’t be without Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for much longer. The NHL is changing how they hand out awards, and the WHL is expanding.

Golden Knights News

The Golden Knights beat the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Tomáš Hertl recorded three times; the Golden Knights have boasted a player with a hat trick in each of their last three home games. Jack Eichel enjoyed a four-point night and hit 600 points in his NHL career. My analysis here:

The Golden Knights secured two points in the standings. Unfortunately for them, so did the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings eviscerated the Carolina Hurricanes; the Oilers, sans Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, narrowly defeated the Seattle Kraken. The Pacific Division standings remain unchanged. Here’s how they look on the morning of March 23rd:

Golden Knights Prospects News

Just 24 hours after losing 4-0 to the San Diego Gulls, the Henderson Silver Knights turned the tables on the Anaheim Ducks affiliate and won 4-2. Defenseman Lukas Cormier, one of the Golden Knights’ top prospects, has two assists. Matyas Sapovaliv, another highly touted Golden Knights prospect, scored the game’s first goal.

The Rimouski Océanic were in action on Saturday, but Mathieu Cataford, winner of the 2023-24 QMJHL Michel Brière Award for league MVP, was a healthy scratch. This shouldn’t be cause for concern– the Océanic played on Friday, and Cataford wore an A and had two primary assists.

On Thursday, the Northeastern Huskies lost 4-3 to the Maine Black Bears in double overtime, ending their season. Sophomore Cameron Whitehead made a career-high 57 saves in net.

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: Fans of the Edmonton Oilers can breathe a collective sigh of relief. On the Saturday Headlines segment of Hockey Night in Canada, Elliotte Friedman provided an injury update on Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl’s return timeline is expected to be sooner than McDavid’s, but neither suffered long-term injuries.

Chicago Hockey Now: The Blackhawks lost their seventh straight game, but the real story came before puck drop. In a pregame interview with Darren Pang, three-time Stanley Cup Champion Pat Maroon announced that he’d be retiring after this season.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Following a loss to the Ottawa Senators, Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe singled out recently-extended defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic.

Sportsnet: There won’t be an official NHL Award show this year. The league is looking to hand out awards in a different, unique way this season. Elliotte Friedman says they’ll lean into the “element of surprise.” This was inspired by the NFL sending Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen a montage of children from the local hospital congratulating him on winning league MVP.

Sportsnet: The Western Hockey League is expanding. The Penticton Vees are leaving the British Columbia Hockey League and joining the WHL. Former NHL star Mike Richter and Winnipeg Jets center Mark Scheifele are expected to be part of the ownership group. 

San Jose Hockey Now: The Sharks beat the Boston Bruins on Saturday. Lucas Carlsson, who hadn’t played an NHL game since 2022 after tearing his ACL, scored the game-winning goal.

NHL History: On March 23rd, 1994, Wayne Gretzky scored goal 802 in his career, breaking Gordie Howe’s record.

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