LAS VEGAS — Centre Tomas Hertl is expected back in the lineup for the Vegas Golden Knights for Thursday night's game against the Seattle Kraken.
Hertl led the Golden Knights in goals and was a key player in Vegas’ high-performing power play before getting injured while being slammed into the boards by Tampa Bay defenseman Emil Lilleberg in the Golden Knights’ 4-2 victory over the Lightning on March 23.
“It's nice to be with the guys again and be part of the team,” Hertl said after Thursday's morning skate. “It wasn't a long time, thank God. It was taken care of in two weeks, so I feel lucky.”
Hertl led Vegas with 31 goals at the time of his injury. Pavel Dorofeyev has since taken the team lead with 33 goals.
The Golden Knights particularly missed Hertl on the power play. He set the club's single-season record with 14 goals with the man advantage before suffering an upper-body injury, with Dorofeyev just one behind.
Vegas' power play had been the NHL's best by converting on more than 30% of its chances. The Golden Knights have failed to score on their last 10 power plays, covering five games.
“We miss his interior presence there,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Offensively, I thought even 5-on-5 he was doing a really good job with (Dorofeyev). They really had chemistry and (Brandon Saad). That line can hopefully recapture where they were, and I thought they were playing really well defensively.”
Cassidy said Jack Eichel (upper-body injury) and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo will not play for the second straight game. Nicolas Hague will return from one-game absence because of an illness that Cassidy said has been prevalent on the team.
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