Gallant holds no grudges against Panthers in return to Florida
SUNRISE, Fla. — Gerard Gallant had no trouble remembering which locker room to go to in his return to the BB&T Center.
Gallant, along with assistant coach Mike Kelly and and forwards Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith, were back at the arena for the first time Friday as members of the Golden Knights and as former members of the Florida Panthers, there was a mixed bag of emotions. It was particularly for poignant for Gallant, who was let go as the Panthers’ coach back on Nov. 28, 2016, only to be hired as the Knights’ first head coach on April 13, 2017.
“It’s always fun to come back and face your former team,” Gallant said prior to the game. “I had a lot of good guys to coach when I was here (in Florida) and it’s good to see them. I got to visit with a lot of them last month when they were in Vegas and they practiced at our facility before we played them.”
Gallant said he harbors no grudges against the Panthers.
“I was upset for two weeks but then some opportunities presented themselves and some teams showed some interest and I’m very happy coaching Vegas.”
Engelland’s milestone
Deryk Engelland’s surpassing 100 points in his NHL career Thursday was not lost on him as the Knights’ defenseman appreciated the accomplishment.
“Obviously, I’m not known for the points but to hit 100 points is pretty special,” Engelland said Friday after his two assists in the 4-1 win over Tampa Bay gave him 101 points for his career. “It’s something I’m proud of.”
Engelland, 35, who signed a one-year, $1.5 million contract extension Monday, is heading for his best offensive season of his nine-year NHL career. He has three goals and 12 assists in 43 games this season and is one point from equalling last year’s 16-point season with Calgary.
His best year offensively came in 2011-12 when Engelland scored four goals and had 17 points for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“I think playing more minutes always helps,” said Engelland, who is averaging 19:35 in time on ice per game. “You’re out there in more situations. With this team, it doesn’t matter who you’re out with. We have four lines that contribute on a nightly basis.”
Nosek to IR
Forward Tomas Nosek was placed on injured-reserve Friday after suffering an upper-body injury in the first period of Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Nashville.
Nosek, who has played in 41 games, has three goals and five assists. Team officials said Nosek is out indefinitely and did not plan to recall anyone to take Nosek’s roster spot.
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Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @stevecarprj on Twitter.