Golden Knights’ revenge week capped by return of Marc-Andre Fleury

There volition beryllium handshakes and hugs, astir apt a fewer chirps, and plentifulness of memories shared during Revenge Week astatine T-Mobile Arena.

But don’t expect the Golden Knights to get excessively sentimental erstwhile immoderate of the franchise’s astir fashionable players and its archetypal manager instrumentality to their onetime home.

“It’s ever breathtaking erstwhile guys who person been present successful the past travel backmost to town,” defenseman Zach Whitecloud said Saturday. “Obviously, our fans amusement their appreciation for the clip that those guys spent present and enactment successful here, the enactment they did successful the community. They’re each large guys, too.

“At the extremity of the day, we’re successful the concern of winning hockey games. There’s nary friends erstwhile you’re playing hockey.”

The docket makers packed a fistful of large reunions into this information of the Knights’ homestand, including the highly anticipated instrumentality of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury connected Saturday erstwhile the Chicago Blackhawks visit. Before that, there’s a showdown against guardant Ryan Reaves, manager Gerard Gallant and the New York Rangers connected Thursday.

The festivities statesman Sunday against the Winnipeg Jets erstwhile the Knights invited backmost defenseman Nate Schmidt and guardant Paul Stastny for a matinee matchup.

“Obviously immoderate large alumni coming backmost into the gathering for the archetypal time,” manager Pete DeBoer said. “It’s important to admit what those men meant to this organization. Historical achievements and truly the instauration for wherever we’re astatine contiguous was laid by a batch of those guys and their contributions.”

The crippled against Fleury and the Blackhawks volition drawback astir of the attraction aft his acrimonious departure successful the offseason for a insignificant league guardant whom the Knights aboriginal released.

But Fleury, presently successful COVID-19 protocol, is not unsocial successful wanting to bushed his erstwhile nine this week.

Schmidt hasn’t appeared astatine T-Mobile Arena since helium was traded to Vancouver successful October 2020 for a third-round prime aft the Knights signed defenseman Alex Pietrangelo arsenic a escaped cause and needed to wide wage headdress space.

In his 3 seasons with the Knights, Schmidt became a instrumentality favourite for his gregarious property and was often tasked with shutting down the opposing team’s apical forwards. He struggled past play with the Canucks and was acquired by Winnipeg successful July for a third-round prime successful 2022. He has 17 points (one goal, 16 assists) successful 29 games with the Jets.

Stastny spent 2 seasons with the Knights earlier helium was shipped to Winnipeg successful October 2020, 3 days earlier Schmidt’s departure.

The Knights already crossed paths with Reaves and Gallant successful New York past period erstwhile the Knights overcame a precocious shortage to triumph 3-2 successful a shootout.

Gallant led the Knights to the Stanley Cup Final successful their inaugural play and won the Jack Adams Award arsenic the NHL’s manager of the year. But helium was fired Jan. 15, 2020, and replaced by DeBoer.

The Rangers (20-8-4, 44 points) are 3rd successful the rugged Metropolitan Division during Gallant’s archetypal season. Reaves, the fashionable fourth-line brawler who was sent to New York successful July for a third-round pick, has six assists and 22 punishment minutes successful 28 games.

The Knights proceed to pb the Pacific Division by points and are 2nd successful the league down Carolina with 22 victories. They’ve won 2 consecutive and 10 of their past 12 aft Friday’s 3-1 slobberknocker against Anaheim to unfastened what is present a three-week, eight-game homestand aft 2 games successful Canada were postponed.

“We’ve got to support winning games. We privation to support this momentum going,” DeBoer said. “We’re playing well. The points are important. We can’t get fooled by the standings due to the fact that we’ve played much games than different teams. That gap’s going to adjacent arsenic they marque up games. There’s benignant of a mixed container determination this week.”

Contact David Schoen astatine dschoen@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ connected Twitter.