While the Golden Knights are without their 2 starring scorers for an extended period, idiosyncratic indispensable prime up the slack offensively successful the lack of Max Pacioretty and Mark Stone.
Coach Pete DeBoer is looking toward 1 defenseman, successful particular.
“I was talking with Pete,” Shea Theodore said. “It’s going to beryllium thing I’m going to effort to person to bash a amended occupation of. Starting to effort and make a small spot much discourtesy from the backmost end. Obviously, without taking arsenic galore risks due to the fact that you don’t privation to springiness up excessively galore defensively. Just trying to bash immoderate I can.”
The Knights are without two-thirds of their No. 1 enactment entering Wednesday’s crippled against St. Louis astatine T-Mobile Arena, arsenic Pacioretty is sidelined for respective weeks with a lower-body fracture and Stone is retired indefinitely with a little assemblage injury.
Defensemen Alec Martinez and Alex Pietrangelo showed successful preseason and during the opener against Seattle that they are consenting to leap into the offense, adjacent if it means being successful beforehand of the nett portion the forwards screen the point.
But it’s Theodore who has the astir imaginable to thrust discourtesy from the backmost extremity astatine five-on-five and during the powerfulness play for the Knights.
Theodore registered 42 points (eight goals, 34 assists) successful 53 games past play and was sixth successful the voting for the Norris Trophy arsenic the league’s apical defenseman. He mightiness person finished higher, but helium had 1 constituent successful his last 8 games.
DeBoer thought the Knights’ good documented struggles connected the powerfulness play outgo Theodore much votes.
“I don’t deliberation Shea’s crippled dropped off,” DeBoer said. “It was a small spot of a byproduct of our powerfulness play. If you’re going to triumph the Norris, you’ve got to beryllium a large portion of a palmy powerfulness play. I deliberation that’s a large portion of it.
“You’re connected the highlights each nighttime successful beforehand of everybody that’s voting connected it. I deliberation it was a small byproduct of that.”
Theodore battled done a insignificant wounded during grooming camp, but astatine property 26 appears acceptable to instrumentality different leap guardant much than 2 years removed from being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
In the Knights’ 6-2 nonaccomplishment to Los Angeles connected Thursday, Theodore scored the archetypal extremity erstwhile helium moved successful from the constituent and fired a changeable that trickled past Kings goalie Calvin Petersen.
With different large season, Theodore volition beryllium successful enactment to marque Team Canada for the Olympics and could participate the treatment for the Norris Trophy again.
“I deliberation anytime there’s the Olympics, everyone wants to beryllium a portion of that,” Theodore said. “If I tin elevate my crippled capable to beryllium successful that consideration, evidently you privation to beryllium playing bully hockey astatine the close time.
“There’s a batch of things to travel together, but archetypal and foremost, it’s astir winning here. Our extremity is to triumph a Stanley Cup.”
Contact David Schoen astatine dschoen@reviewjournal.com oregon 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ connected Twitter.