Daily Nuggets: Hertl Injured; Connelly in NCAA Hockey Tournament

Good morning, folks. I hope you enjoyed your weekend– the Vegas Golden Knights certainly did. They won back-to-back games and scored a total of 10 goals. Unfortunately, they lost leading goalscorer Tomáš Hertl in the process. On Sunday, a committee selected 16 teams to compete in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, and the Golden Knights’ top prospect will be a part of the dance.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, two officials prevented a goalie fight. Officials, I think I speak for hockey watchers everywhere when I say this: if the goalies want to fight, let them fight. Preventing them from doing so is actively shrinking the game. The Vancouver Canucks’ hopes to make the postseason are rapidly shrinking, but Thatcher Demko is here to save the day.

Golden Knights News

The Golden Knights beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2 on Sunday and swept their three-game homestand. Ilya Samsonov outplayed Andrei Vasilevskiy, and Tomáš Hertl scored his 31st goal of the season. Jack Eichel scored the game-winning goal and continues to inch closer to becoming the first 100-point player in franchise history. 

Now for the bad news– the Golden Knights lost Hertl to injury with less than 5 minutes remaining in the third period. Bruce Cassidy provided an update on his status postgame.

There are three guarantees in life: death, taxes, and the Los Angeles Kings keeping pace with the Golden Knights in the race for the Pacific Division title. They’ve won three in a row and eight of their last nine games. The Kings played two games over the weekend and scored seven goals in consecutive games for the first time since the Wayne Gretzky era. They leapfrogged the Edmonton Oilers for second in the Division; both teams have 87 points, and the Kings have a game in hand.

The Athletic ($): The Athletic staff released a power ranking and put the Golden Knights at six.

Golden Knights Prospects News

Step aside, March Madness– the road to the Frozen Four begins on March 27th. Trevor Connelly, the 37th-ranked drafted prospect and the Golden Knights’ first-round pick in 2024, is among those hopeful to claim the title. Connelly and the Providence Friars face off against the reigning National Champion Denver Pioneers on March 28th.

On Saturday, the Lethbridge Hurricanes took on top 2026 prospect Gavin McKenna and the Medicine Hat Tigers. The Hurricanes lost 10-1, and Golden Knights prospect Jordan Gustafson scored the lone goal. Gustafson has six goals and nine points in eight WHL games this season.

The Prince George Cougars defeated the Victoria Royals on Saturday 4-3 in overtime. Golden Knights prospect Villiam Kmec recorded the primary assist on the game-winning goal and was named the second star of the game. The defenseman is up to 18 goals and 61 points in 65 WHL games this season. 

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: The Vancouver Canucks are desperately trying to salvage their season. They play the New Jersey Devils on Monday, and Thatcher Demko could return from injury and start in net. 

The Athletic ($): With less than a month left in the regular season, it’s pretty clear which teams are making the playoffs and which ones aren’t. But what’s at stake for each team? For the Golden Knights, it’s winning their fourth Pacific Division title in eight years.

Boston Hockey Now: The Los Angeles Kings steamrolled the Bruins on Sunday, but the story of the game came at 14:13 in the second period. Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper tried to drop the gloves with Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman, but the fun police officials stepped in to prevent the fight. Both goaltenders received penalties for leaving the crease.

Chicago Hockey Now: The Los Angeles Kings weren’t the only team to score seven goals in a victory on Sunday. The Blackhawks scored a season-high seven against the Flyers to snap their seven-game losing streak. 

San Jose Hockey Now: There aren’t many things I enjoy more than watching a goaltender make a cool save. Barracuda goaltender Gabriel Carriere made a flying Superman save to prevent Bakersfield Condor Darren Brady from scoring. 

NHL History: Who remembers the 2020 playoff game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Columbus Blue Jackets that required five overtimes? Well, that was only the fourth-longest game in NHL history. On March 24th, 1936, the longest game took place. The Detroit Red Wings scored 16:30 into the sixth overtime to defeat the Montreal Maroons 1-0.