Rookie Alex Tuch makes impact in debut with Golden Knights

Alex Tuch understood why he was sent to the minors by the Golden Knights despite an impressive training camp.

The rookie forward played Sunday like he has no intention of going back.

Tuch scored his first career NHL goal, picked up an assist and was a hulking menace on the forecheck during the Knights’ 3-1 victory over Boston at T-Mobile Arena.

“I understand the situation that management was in and stuff, and they said it wasn’t performance-based, so that made me feel a little bit better,” Tuch said. “I tried to go down there and prove that I was one of the high-end guys in the (American Hockey League), and then now I’m trying to prove that I can make this league.”

Tuch, 21, was reassigned to the AHL out of training camp largely because he didn’t have to clear waivers.

He had four goals and an assist in three games with Chicago before being recalled Sunday when forward Jonathan Marchessault (lower body injury) was placed on injured reserve.

Skating on a line with Vadim Shipachyov and Brendan Leipsic, Tuch used his 6-foot-4-inch, 220-pound frame to cause havoc deep in Boston’s zone, and his hustle on the backcheck led to the Knights’ first goal.

Tuch dispossessed Sean Kuraly in the neutral zone then zipped past Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller to the loose puck before beating Tuukka Rask high to the glove side for a 1-0 lead at 14:38 of the second period.

Tuch also set up Shipachyov a little more than three minutes later for a goal in the Russian’s NHL debut.

Tuch had a plus-two rating and finished with a team-high four shots on goal and three hits in 13:56 of ice time.

Shipachyov, who was recalled Saturday after Erik Haula went on IR, was a plus-two in his 10:26 of ice time.

“They were great call-ups today, obviously,” Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “They played a good game and they capitalized on their chances. We’re real happy. Everything went well.”

In the booth

The game against Boston wasn’t just a reunion for former Bruins players Colin Miller and Malcolm Subban.

Dave Goucher, the Knights’ television play-by-play voice, spent the previous 17 seasons as the Bruins’ radio broadcaster and was a fixture on the New England sports scene.

His call to “Get the duck boats ready!” when Boston won the 2011 Stanley Cup is one of the most memorable in recent Bruins history.

”It’s a little bit strange,” Goucher said before the game. “Even doing some work for the game (Saturday) night, watching highlights from their game, it’s the first time in 17 years you’re preparing for a Bruins game, but you’re not the Bruins announcer. So that’s certainly a different experience.”

Lineup changes

Defensemen Brad Hunt and Jon Merrill made their season debuts on Sunday for the Knights. Jason Garrison, Brayden McNabb and Griffin Reinhart were healthy scratches.

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Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.