ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Vegas Golden Knights are turning to a familiar face on the blue line for Friday’s pivotal Game 3 against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center. Dylan Coghlan will make his NHL playoff debut, replacing Kaedan Korczak on the third pairing alongside Ben Hutton.
Coach John Tortorella announced the change Thursday, citing Korczak’s recent struggles. The 24-year-old defenseman logged 11:31 in Wednesday’s Game 2 loss, registering no shots and a minus-1 rating for the second straight game.
“A lot of positive feedback on (Coghlan),” Tortorella said. “(Korczak’s) just struggled a little bit in certain situations. I don’t think he’s been terrible, but we just want a change and we’ll see where we go with it.”
Coghlan, 28, is no stranger to the organization. He came up through the Knights’ system as an undrafted free agent and appeared in 88 games from 2021-22, tallying six goals and 19 points. He was part of the trade that sent Max Pacioretty to Carolina in July 2022 and spent time with the Hurricanes and Winnipeg Jets over the next three seasons, totaling 24 games.
After signing a one-year deal with Vegas this offseason, Coghlan posted a career-high 44 points with the Henderson Silver Knights in the AHL. He was called up prior to the start of the series and had one assist in three Calder Cup Playoff games with Henderson.
“I think as the season went on, I was finding my game a little bit more,” Coghlan said. “There are different systems in every team you got to. I had a bit of a slow start and then picked it up halfway through. I’m playing the best hockey of my career, I feel like.”
Coghlan brings a powerful shot to the lineup, a quality Tortorella has emphasized as the Knights look to generate more offense. “He’s got a cannon,” Hutton said. “Any time he gets a chance to use, I’m going to tell him to do it. Don’t worry about the D-to-D (passing). I’ll be going down there if there’s a rebound.”
Jeremy Lauzon remains out with an upper-body injury. The series is tied 1-1 after the Ducks evened things up in Game 2.
“I think the message for me is don’t change anything,” Coghlan said. “Play my game, be a little bit gritty.”
