The Golden Knights will need to go another week without Tomas Hertl.
Coach Bruce Cassidy said Monday the center will not be available for the Knights’ next four games due to an upper-body injury he suffered March 23 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The team hosts the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday and the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday before playing a back-to-back on the road Saturday and Sunday against the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks, respectively.
“That’s all I know,” Cassidy said. “We’ll do our best to have an update after that.”
The Knights (45-20-8) have won six straight, matching their season high, despite Hertl’s injury. That doesn’t mean his absence hasn’t been felt.
Hertl, 31, is tied with right wing Pavel Dorofeyev for the team lead in goals with 31. His line with Dorofeyev and left wing Brandon Saad hasn’t been as productive in recent games with Nicolas Roy filling in at center.
“I think we’ve had chances so far. We just haven’t buried them,” Roy said. “You get three, four grade-A’s per game, eventually you’re going to have one go in. I think we’re getting used to playing with each other right now, and we’re playing pretty good.”
Roy understands replacing Hertl is a tall task.
Hertl’s 14 power-play goals are a Knights record. He’s a huge reason the team has the NHL’s best power play at 30.8 percent.
Cassidy still believes Roy can function as a solid replacement given he and Hertl are both skilled at protecting pucks in the offensive zone.
“(Roy) has some offensive acumen,” Cassidy said. “I feel he’s got it in him to do it.”
Other injuries
In addition to Hertl’s absence, goaltender Ilya Samsonov is day-to-day with an upper-body injury.
Samsonov was scheduled to start Saturday’s game against the Nashville Predators and even came out for warmups. But Cassidy said “something tightened up” before puck drop. That forced goaltender Adin Hill to start for the second straight day after beating the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday.
Akira Schmid was recalled from the Silver Knights on Monday to serve as Hill’s backup. Schmid, who was acquired along with right wing Alexander Holtz in a trade with the New Jersey Devils on June 29, has made one appearance this season. He stopped all 12 shots he faced in relief in a 5-2 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Nov. 11.
Schmid, 24, is 9-18-3 with a 3.58 goals-against average and .886 save percentage this season with Henderson.
The Knights did get some good news on the injury front.
Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, who has missed three straight games with a lower-body injury, was a full participant in practice Monday.
Pietrangelo won’t play Tuesday, however. He skated as an extra with defenseman Ben Hutton during line rushes.
Slowing down Draisaitl
The Oilers (42-26-5) are dealing with their own injury issues.
Captain Connor McDavid has been out since March 20 with a lower-body injury and won’t play Tuesday. Edmonton did get center Leon Draisaitl back from an undisclosed injury Saturday. Draisaitl scored twice in his team’s 3-2 overtime win over the Flames, giving him an NHL-leading 51 goals this season.
“It’s definitely different. (McDavid) plays 23, 25 minutes a game,” Roy said. “They still got a really good team without him.”
Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
