Laurent Brossoit hopes it’s like riding a bicycle.
The Golden Knights goaltender is expected to make his first NHL start since March 15 on Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks. Brossoit has spent most of this season in the American Hockey League working his way back from offseason hip surgery. Goaltender Logan Thompson’s lower-body injury opened the door for Brossoit to get called back up, and now he’ll get an opportunity to prove himself again.
“You really appreciate being up here once you’re not for an extended period of time,” Brossoit said Monday. “Just grateful that I’m here and that I’m going to be getting back in the net.”
Brossoit, 29, is 42-41-8 in his career. He spent that entire time playing through hip pain, which he said dates to junior hockey.
Brossoit found ways to manage it as a professional until he was forced to address it this summer.
The veteran is 8-11-3 with a .909 save percentage with the Silver Knights this season. He’s also excited with how his body feels. Brossoit said there are parts of his body he can move that he couldn’t previously, helping increase his fluidity in the crease.
He’s ready to test his new self against top-tier competition.
“It does feel like a first NHL start,” Brossoit said. “It’s a long time coming.”
The Knights will try to extend their winning streak to six games behind Brossoit. They’ve outscored opponents 24-9 in this stretch to move into first place in the Western Conference.
Chicago isn’t likely to be a stumbling block. The Blackhawks have won two straight, but their 41 points are tied for the fewest in the conference. Their 2.47 goals per game rank 32nd in the NHL.
The key moving forward for Chicago is how many pieces move off its roster before the NHL’s March 3 trade deadline. Right wing Patrick Kane is doing his part to generate interest with five goals in his past two games.
“Well, he’s the best part of their team when he’s going,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Or the most dangerous part, I should say. … He is the guy that we talk about in our pregame meeting.”
Knights at Blackhawks (5:30 p.m.)
TV: AT&T SportsNet
Radio: KKGK (98.9 FM, 1340 AM)
Line: Knights -295; total 6½
Knights record: 34-18-4
Blackhawks record: 18-32-5
Head-to-head: Knights 2-0-0
Knights’ projected lineup:
Paul Cotter — Jack Eichel — Jonathan Marchessault
Reilly Smith — William Karlsson — Michael Amadio
William Carrier — Chandler Stephenson — Phil Kessel
Brett Howden — Nicolas Roy — Keegan Kolesar
Alec Martinez — Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb — Shea Theodore
Nic Hague — Zach Whitecloud
Laurent Brossoit
Contact Ben Gotz at [email protected]. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
