Golden Knights report: Team loses forward off waivers to Maple Leafs
Golden Knights vs. Avalanche
Avalanche win 2-0
RJ’s three stars
■ 3. Avalanche left wing Gabriel Landeskog — He scored his 23rd goal off a one-timer from the right circle 41 seconds into the third period. He also drew the penalty that led to Colorado’s second goal.
■ 2. Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar — He got an assist on each of Colorado’s goals. He ranks second in the NHL among defensemen in points with 49 in 44 games.
■ 1. Avalanche goaltender Darcy Kuemper — He made 29 saves for his third shutout. He improved to 15-0-2 in his past 17 decisions.
Key play
Landeskog’s goal.
It came on his third shot attempt in 17 seconds. Defenseman Brayden McNabb blocked the first. Landeskog missed the net with the second, which came after he was set up in the right circle by Makar.
Makar recovered the puck and sent a diagonal pass back Landeskog’s way. The Avalanche captain didn’t miss a third time with a one-timer that got over goaltender Laurent Brossoit’s left shoulder and into the net.
Key stat
139:46 — The shutout streak for the Knights’ offense.
They haven’t scored since 14 seconds into the third period of their 4-0 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Feb. 8. They’ve been shut out two consecutive games.
It’s the first time the Knights have been shut out in back-to-back games in franchise history.
Brooks claimed
The Knights lost forward Adam Brooks to the Toronto Maple Leafs on waivers Wednesday.
The Knights claimed Brooks off waivers Nov. 19 from the Montreal Canadiens, and he scored two goals in seven games. He was put back on waivers Tuesday and taken by the club that drafted him. Brooks has eight points in 18 games in two seasons with the Maple Leafs.
The Knights still have 14 forwards on their active roster.
Lehner update
Knights coach Pete DeBoer said he’s confident goaltender Robin Lehner, who has an upper-body injury, will be able to play “sooner than later.”
Lehner is 19-13-1 with a .907 save percentage and 2.86 goals-against average. Brossoit is expected to get the bulk of the workload in net with Lehner out.
“Might be a blessing in disguise,” DeBoer said. “(Brossoit) gets to run for a few games, Robin gets to recharge and reset and get himself healthy. We’ll have two good guys down the stretch.”
Game presentation honored
The Knights won an award for the NHL’s best game presentation Wednesday.
The team was given a “Stanley,” a club business accolade from the league. It was the first one the NHL has given out for game presentation, and it was for the 2019-20 season.
“We are proud of the work we do to entertain our guests at the Fortress and appreciate this recognition from the NHL,” Knights president Kerry Bubolz said in a statement. “The energy our fans bring certainly adds to that atmosphere, so I hope they take pride in this award just as we do in the front office.”
Knights’ next 10
Vs. Los Angeles, 7 p.m. Friday
At San Jose, 5 p.m. Sunday
At Arizona, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 25
Vs. Colorado, 7 p.m. Feb. 26
Vs. San Jose, 7 p.m. March 1
Vs. Boston, 6 p.m. March 3
At Anaheim, 7 p.m. March 4
Vs. Ottawa, 5 p.m. March 6
At Philadelphia, 4 p.m. March 8
At Buffalo, 4 p.m. March 10
Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.
