Daily Nuggets: Hertl Injury Update; Goalie Interference Controversy 

Good morning everyone. I hope you’ve been enjoying these early 5 p.m. puck drops, because the Vegas Golden Knights have another one today. They’re in Minnesota to take on old friend Marc-André Fleury and the Wild. Unfortunately, they’ll do so without their leading goalscorer, Tomáš Hertl, who didn’t travel with the team. Shea Theodore, who hasn’t played since before the 4 Nations Face-Off break, made the trip. He’s expected to return to action at some point during this three-game road trip the Golden Knights are on.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, a controversial goaltender interference call made waves across the league. Officials wiped out the New York Islanders’ potential game-winning goal, costing them two points in the standings. It remains to be seen if that will come back to haunt them. The juggernaut Winnipeg Jets host Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals, but they’ll have to contain the Great 8 without top-line winger Gabe Vilardi, who is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

Golden Knights News

The biggest news surrounding the Golden Knights is the growing concern about the severity of the injury to Tomáš Hertl.After taking a hit that sent him flying into the boards, Hertl exited Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 

On Monday’s episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Elliotte Friedman provided a brief but grim update on Hertl’s status. He also raised a very interesting point– the call on the play was reduced from a five-minute major to a two-minute minor, which could set a dangerous precedent heading into the playoffs.

The Golden Knights are in Minnesota to kick off a three-game road trip against the Wild. On Monday afternoon, general manager Kelly McCrimmon revealed on the VGK Insiders Show that Hertl did not travel with the team. On the other hand, Shea Theodore did; he’ll likely return at some point on the upcoming road trip.

The Athletic ($): On Monday, Sean McIndoe released his NHL Weekend Rankings. He listed the bottom five teams in the league, and the five teams he feels are most likely to win the Stanley Cup. He gives the Golden Knights the fourth-best odds of winning it all.

NHL Rumors, News, & National Hockey Now

The Athletic ($): The single ‘Double Vision’ by the British-American rock group Foreigner is a classic. It peaked at number 2 in the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and has been a staple in the band’s setlist for years. What does that have to do with hockey? Well, the song was partially inspired by New York Rangers goaltender John Davidson.

Sportsnet: Poor Gabe Vilardi. The kid just can’t catch a break. He’s yet to play a full 82-game season without injury, and this year won’t be his first. The Winnipeg Jets winger is out week-to-week with an upper-body injury.

New York Islanders Hockey Now: The question, ‘What is goaltender interference, anyway?’ is kind of a running joke at this point. No one can define it, and no one can consistently identify it— not the fans and especially not the players. The Islanders saw what would’ve been the game-winning goal wiped off the board; after they fell to the Columbus Blue Jackets in the shootout, the players didn’t hold back.

Chicago Hockey Now: Pat Maroon, retiring at the end of this season, will be remembered for many things. First, for his perseverance— he was a sixth-round pick who will end his career having played over 850 NHL games. Fans will remember his three Stanley Cups and his six playoff game-winning goals. But the most notable legacy he’ll leave behind is how great of a teammate he was.

NHL History: On March 25th, 1982, Wayne Gretzky became the first player to record 200 points in a single season.

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