Wild’s Jason Zucker feels ‘little weird’ facing hometown team Golden Knights
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Jason Zucker arrived at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday morning for the Minnesota Wild’s pregame skate and something felt different.
“It feels a little weird being able to say that we’re playing Vegas,” the forward said. “I definitely never thought this day would come, but it’s pretty exciting knowing that they do (have a team) and that they’re doing well.”
Zucker, who leads the Wild in goals this season, grew up in Las Vegas and is Nevada’s lone NHL player.
The 25-year-old spends his summers in the valley and remains closely connected to the local hockey community.
“Every summer I’m back there, I try to do something with the kids there and try to grow hockey in any way I can,” Zucker said. “It’s been a lot of fun for me to be able to say I’m from there and go back there and spend my summers.”
Thursday’s game had an extra layer of intrigue for Zucker, who said his parents, Scott and Natalie, are season ticket holders for the Golden Knights.
Jason Zucker was asked which team they were going to root for Thursday and laughed before giving his response.
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll have to ask them that question.”
Roster moves
The Knights activated defenseman Luca Sbisa from the injured-reserve list prior to Thursday’s game and placed forwards David Perron and William Carrier on IR.
Sbisa missed the past seven games with a lower-body injury.
Perron (upper body), tied for third on the team in scoring with 19 points, was injured Nov. 24 against San Jose. Carrier suffered an undisclosed injury Saturday against Arizona.
Neither player made the road trip, and both are expected to miss at least one week, according to the team.
Putting down roots
Defenseman Brayden McNabb was set to become an unrestricted free agent in July but decided against testing the open market.
McNabb, who this week signed a four-year extension through the 2021-22 season, said he is happy with the Knights and enjoys living in Las Vegas.
“Coming in getting drafted, you’re unsure about the city,” the 26-year-old said. “But being here, it’s been great, from the top down. It’s a good place to play, it’s a good place to live and I’m happy to be here.”
Toy drive
The Knights will host a holiday Toy Drive prior to the Dec. 12 game against Carolina at T-Mobile Arena.
Fans can bring a new and unwrapped toy that will be donated to CASA Foundation, which supports children in foster care in Clark County.
Three storylines:
1. Flying high. Winnipeg (15-6-4) sits second in the Central Division and is 7-2-1 in its past 10 games despite losing 3-2 in overtime at Colorado on Wednesday. The Jets are 8-2-1 at Bell MTS Place and haven’t lost at home since Nov. 4.
2. Revenge factor. The Golden Knights thumped Winnipeg 5-2 on Nov. 10 at T-Mobile Arena, chasing goaltender Connor Hellebuyck after the second period. “We are going to have to make some adjustments next time we play them,” Jets forward Blake Wheeler said after the teams’ first meeting.
3. Quick turnaround. The Knights planned to travel across the border after Thursday’s game at Minnesota and will need to quickly find their legs against a talented Winnipeg team. The Knights are 2-2 in the second game of back-to-backs, including a 4-2 win at Arizona on Saturday in the most recent instance.
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Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.