Golden Knights players audition for ice time in NHL playoffs

The postseason presents a math problem that several Golden Knights players are trying to solve.

Twenty-two healthy and eligible skaters on the roster minus 18 lineup spots means four scratches every night. Who those are is the variable, and players get one final chance to make their case when the Knights play at the Los Angeles Kings at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the regular-season finale.

“It’s always in the back of our minds,” forward Ryan Carpenter said. “We have such a good team, such a deep team, that you just want to leave a good impression every time you’re in the lineup.”

Coach Gerard Gallant said he isn’t treating Saturday’s game as a final audition, but he will have several decisions to make before the Knights open the NHL playoffs next week against the San Jose Sharks.

There’s the matter of who joins center Cody Eakin and forward Alex Tuch on the third line, as Carpenter and forward Brandon Pirri skated there during Friday’s practice.

Carpenter would give the Knights another hard forechecker and penalty killer, while Pirri’s shot is the type of weapon that could prove decisive in a close game.

“You always see those guys that aren’t necessarily the primary scorers in the playoffs,” said Pirri, who has 11 goals and 17 points in 30 games. “It’s about secondary scoring. There’s no 7-1 games really in the playoffs; it’s all tight scoring. We’re fortunate to have four lines, and now we have three extra forwards and everyone contributes. Whoever’s in, you want to be a difference maker.”

The Knights also must decide if forwards Tomas Nosek and Valentin Zykov can contribute or if they will be among the team’s three forward scratches each game. Nosek played well Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes, as the fourth line of him, Carpenter and center Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was on the ice for a team-high eight scoring chances for and a team-low one scoring chance against.

Regular fourth-line forwards William Carrier and Ryan Reaves flanked Bellemare at practice Friday, with Nosek sitting out for an undisclosed reason. Zykov skated as an extra on the fourth line, but he’s played in only nine games since being claimed off waivers Dec. 29.

“They’re going to decide (who plays),” Gallant said Monday. “I’ve said it from Day One: I play four lines because they decide. If somebody’s not playing well or the line isn’t playing well, you know what — I’ll play three lines. That’s the way it goes with our group. Play hard, everyone do their jobs and we’ll be fine.”

The Knights also will have to scratch one defenseman each game, which won’t be an easy choice. Third-pair blue liners Colin Miller, Jon Merrill and Nick Holden are the top options if everyone stays healthy, and each has been a healthy scratch in the second half of the season.

“The last few months, everyone has been trying to show that they deserve to be in at the start of the playoffs,” Holden said. “Obviously, it comes down to what the coaches want. You just try to make sure you’re playing your best every night.

“Chips will fall where they do. We’re a pretty tight group, so it’s not like anyone’s upset. Everyone wants to be playing, but nobody is going to be upset if they’re not in because they’ll just be excited for the other guy.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.