The Golden Knights have added help before continuing their four-game road trip Thursday.
The Knights called up defenseman Daniil Miromanov before their 4 p.m. matchup in Pittsburgh. Miromanov adds depth to a blue line that’s missing Alex Pietrangelo, who is away from the team for personal reasons. There is no timeline for Pietrangelo’s return.
Miromanov, 25, has 13 points in 17 games with the Silver Knights despite missing NHL training camp because of an undisclosed offseason surgery. He had one assist in 11 games with the Golden Knights last season. Center Brett Howden, who has missed the past three games with a lower-body injury, was placed on injured reserve to open a roster spot.
The Penguins will be without a key member of their blue line, too. Kris Letang suffered a stroke Monday and is out indefinitely. The team said Wednesday that Letang is not experiencing any lasting effects, and his condition is not expected to be career ending. He missed two months in 2014 because of a stroke.
The Penguins should be a challenging opponent for the Knights, who have an NHL-best 21 points on the road. Pittsburgh is 5-1-1 in its past seven games.
Captain Sidney Crosby is as good as ever. His 26 even-strength points lead the league, and his 31 points overall rank seventh. The Penguins also have 10 players with 10 points or more.
The Knights boast similar depth. It’s served them well on the road, with left wing William Carrier scoring his eighth goal in Monday’s 3-2 shootout win in Columbus. Carrier is one goal shy of his career high.
Lineup and starting goaltender information wasn’t immediately available. Center Jack Eichel did leave Monday’s game briefly after defenseman Nic Hague’s shot hit him in the head, but he was at Thursday’s morning skate wearing a face shield.
Last time Jack wore one of these he won the Hobey. Just saying. pic.twitter.com/FEfqkocBdp
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) December 1, 2022
Knights at Penguins
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: KKGK (98.9 FM, 1340 AM)
Line: Penguins -115; total 6½
Knights record: 17-6-1
Penguins record: 11-8-4
Head-to-head: 0-0-0 (Knights 0-2-0 last season)
Contact Ben Gotz at [email protected]. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
