The Golden Knights are switching their third line again for their Wednesday night game against the New York Rangers at T-Mobile Arena.
The Knights called up left wing Jonas Rondbjerg from Henderson, and he will skate with center Nicolas Roy and right wing Phil Kessel. The 23-year-old had seven goals and seven assists in 22 games with the Silver Knights.
Rondbjerg replaces left wing Michael Amadio in the lineup. He’s the latest in a lengthy list of forwards who have skated on Kessel’s line, and coach Bruce Cassidy said the Knights are looking to add a “different flavor” to that group. Rondbjerg qualifies as a defensively responsible player who has provided offense in the minors.
“I want to show what I can do, what I’ve been doing down in Henderson,” Rondbjerg said.
Rondbjerg is the only lineup change for the Knights.
Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo remains away from the team because of an illness in his family. Centers Jack Eichel and Brett Howden are out with lower-body injuries.
That means rookie left wing Paul Cotter remains on the first line with center Chandler Stephenson and right wing Mark Stone. The 23-year-old is coming off the first two-goal game of his career Monday in Boston.
“When you get to play with two of the best players in the league, it’s pretty easy,” Cotter said. “If I wasn’t producing then that would be a problem, because you just get so many opportunities with those guys.”
Rookie goaltender Logan Thompson is expected to start for the Knights. He’s projected to face Rangers goaltender Igor Shesterkin, the 2022 Vezina Trophy winner.
Shesterkin and the rest of the team has struggled to build off their run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The Rangers, led by former Knights coach Gerard Gallant, are two points out of a playoff spot.
Knights vs. Rangers
Time: 7 p.m.
TV: TNT
Radio: KKGK (98.9 FM, 1340 AM)
Line: Knights -134; total 6
Knights record: 19-7-1
Rangers record: 12-10-5
Head-to-head: 0-0-0 (Knights 2-0-0 last season)
Knights’ projected lineup:
Paul Cotter — Chandler Stephenson — Mark Stone
Reilly Smith — William Karlsson — Jonathan Marchessault
Jonas Rondbjerg — Nicolas Roy — Phil Kessel
William Carrier — Jake Leschyshyn — Keegan Kolesar
Alec Martinez — Zach Whitecloud
Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore
Nic Hague — Daniil Miromanov
Logan Thompson
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