Daily Nuggets: Eichel Injury Update; Kings & Oilers Renew Rivalry

Good morning, folks. On Tuesday, the Vegas Golden Knights play the first of a two-game road trip to close out the regular season. They’ll be in Calgary against a Flames team that needs at least a point to stay alive. The Golden Knights shared some positive news about superstar center Jack Eichel, who missed the last two games and is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.

Elsewhere in the Daily Nuggets, things got heated in Edmonton on Monday when the Los Angeles Kings took on the Oilers. A national writer stole a player’s retirement announcement. A highly-anticipated rookie dazzled in his debut, and the Montreal Canadiens just might be choking their playoff hopes away.

Golden Knights News

On Monday, head coach Bruce Cassidy spoke to the media about resting players before the playoffs. When the Golden Knights take the ice against the Flames in Calgary on Tuesday, they’ll likely do so without Jack Eichel, Noah Hanifin, and Mark Stone. 

“I’ll go through the lineup [Tuesday]; we are going to rest some people… We’ll do the same in Vancouver, depending on how we feel. We know we have to be at our best for Game 1… Discussions with the [4 Nations] players are first; discussions with veteran guys come next.”

Cassidy spoke about Alec Martinez, who announced his retirement on Saturday.

“I was hoping they’d put him in the shootout the other night,” Cassidy joked. “That would have been a nice send-off for him… For a guy who started in the minors, that’s a pretty exceptional career. To work his way up and play that long and have that much success– three Stanley Cups– not too many guys can say that… He was a guy that played; if he was able, he was in there. He ate pucks every night and did a lot of the dirty work. He’s a great teammate, and guys loved him; he’s a good veteran guy for the coaches. I wish him nothing but the best.”

Cassidy provided an injury update on Jack Eichel, who missed the last two games.

“[Jack Eichel] is skating with us. We’re going to keep him as day-to-day for now, but he’s out skating and feeling better. The guys that were sick were all out there, they’re feeling better, so hopefully that’s behind us as well.”

Playoff Clinches & Eliminations

The Montreal Canadiens entered Monday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks with the opportunity to clinch a playoff berth. Instead, they blew a two-goal lead and fell in the shootout. The Columbus Blue Jackets live to fight another day,

Teams that can be eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday: Calgary Flames, Columbus Blue Jackets

Teams that can clinch a playoff berth on Tuesday: Minnesota Wild, Montreal Canadiens, St. Louis Blues

NHL News, Rumors, & National Hockey Now

Sportsnet: The playoffs haven’t started yet, but the game between the Kings and the Oilers took a nasty turn. Following Darnell Nurse’s ejection after crosschecking Quinton Byfield in the back of the head, Kings forward Philip Danault expressed his frustration during an intermission interview.

Sportsnet: Rory Boylen compiled a list of the four players who had the biggest breakout season– Pavel Dorofeyev’s omission is certainly a choice.

San Jose Hockey Now: The Sharks are to hold a press conference on Tuesday, and it appears that Logan Couture’s playing career has come to an end. Local writers reported just that, leaving the announcement opportunity to Couture; unfortunately, the national writers didn’t get the memo and opted to blow the gaff. 

Colorado Hockey Now: The Stanley Cup Playoffs are just a few days away, and there’s a very real possibility that Gabriel Landeskog will suit up with the Avalanche for Game 1.

Montreal Hockey Now: Ivan Demidov has arrived. The rookie made his highly anticipated debut on Monday and scored his first NHL goal on his first shot of the game. Unfortunately for the Habs, they squandered Demidov’s performance and blew a multigoal lead to the Blackhawks, potentially jeopardizing their postseason aspirations.

New Jersey Hockey Now: Former Golden Knight Paul Cotter received a two-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Adam Pelech.

Philly Hockey Now: Aleksei Kolosov’s tenure with the Flyers has been tumultuous; now, it seems that it’s coming to an end. Reports indicate that he’ll return to the KHL in the offseason.

NHL History: On April 15th, 1952, a time-honored Detroit tradition was born. Two brothers tossed the first octopus onto the ice when the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup.