Jonathan Marchessault on the mend for Golden Knights
Jonathan Marchessault is close to returning to the Golden Knights’ lineup.
Marchessault, who is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, practiced Friday at City National Arena, and Knights coach Gerard Gallant did not rule out the top-six forward for Saturday’s game against St. Louis at T-Mobile Arena.
“He had a good skate (Friday), and that’s a good start,” Gallant said. “He’s not off the IR yet, he’s just coming back and trying to get ready for (Saturday). I don’t know if he’s going to play (Saturday) yet or not. We’ll see again (Saturday) morning.”
Marchessault was injured early in the third period against Detroit on Oct. 13 when he was crunched in the corner by Red Wings defenseman Nick Jensen and fell awkwardly.
Marchessault scored his first goal of the season in the first period and thought he was starting to get his timing back before being hurt.
“I think my first few games I was just a little rusty,” said Marchessault, a 30-goal scorer last season with Florida. “I was actually finding my game a little bit back and had a good game that game. It’s unfortunate, but that why I want to be 100 percent ready when I come back, so I can start where I left off.”
Marchessault skated Thursday on the team’s day off and wore a red, noncontact jersey at practice Friday.
He is eligible to come off IR on Saturday, and general manager George McPhee will have a tough roster decision once Marchessault is healthy.
Rookie Alex Tuch was called up Sunday when Marchessault officially was placed on IR. Tuch has two goals in two games with the Knights and has injected size and speed into the lineup, but he remains waiver-exempt and could return to the minors.
Center Vadim Shipachyov also does not need to clear waivers and could go down to make room for Marchessault.
“When you have injuries like that, you need guys that step up,” Marchessault said. “Tuch stepped up. It’s good for those guys, and we need those guys to step up. It just makes our team better.”
From the infirmary
Gallant said forward Erik Haula, who is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, is set to begin skating Saturday.
“He’s doing much better,” Gallant said.
As for Marc-Andre Fleury (concussion), Gallant said he did not have an update when the team’s No. 1 goaltender would return.
“I haven’t heard nothing about him today, and that’s just from the doctors and trainer,” Gallant said.
Dansk is ready
Goaltender Oscar Dansk isn’t sure how long he will be with the Knights, but the 23-year-old from Sweden is looking to make the most of his time in the NHL.
Dansk was recalled this week from Chicago of the American Hockey League and will serve as Malcolm Subban’s backup. He was called up to Columbus in 2015 and last season in the playoffs, but never appeared in an NHL game for the Blue Jackets.
“Any time you get this opportunity, you’ve got to show something, right?” Dansk said. “I’m just going to go 100 percent like always, and after that, I’ve done what I can.”
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David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.
St. Louis Blues
7:30 p.m., Saturday, T-Mobile Arena
— The Skinny: At 6-2, the Blues are off to a fast start despite key injuries to several players. They lead the Western Conference with 12 points.
— Top scorers: Forward Jaden Schwartz leads St. Louis with six goals and 12 points. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has eight assists and 10 points, and forward Vladimir Tarasenko, who scored 39 goals last season, has five goals and nine points.
— Goaltender: Jake Allen, 4-2, 2.80 goals-against average, .917 save percentage.
— Coach: Mike Yeo, second season, 28-10-2.
— Founded: 1967.
— Last Stanley Cup: None (Reached finals in 1968, 1969 and 1970).
— Did you know: The Blues have ties to the top four most successful coaches in league history — Scotty Bowman, who coached St. Louis from 1968 to 1971 and has 1,244 career wins, is No. 1. Chicago's Joel Quenneville, who coached the Blues from 1996 to 2004, is No. 2 with 855 wins. Ken Hitchcock, who coached St. Louis from 2011 to 2017 and is currently coaching Dallas, has 785 wins and is No. 3. Al Arbour, who played for the Blues in their inaugural NHL season in 1967 and later took over for Bowman in 1971, is No. 4 all time with 782 wins.
