Knights’ top defenseman starting to ‘come into my own’ after slow start

Scoring has never been an issue for Shea Theodore. It was other elements that were lacking from the Golden Knights defenseman’s game at times.

That’s why Theodore’s start to the season was uncharacteristic. He had no goals and five assists in the Knights’ first 14 games.

The 30-year-old has found his groove since, with two goals and four points in his last five games. He scored the game-winning goal in the Knights 3-2 win over the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

“I’m feeling better as we go,” Theodore said.

A new voice

The circumstances around Theodore are different than they were last season, when he scored a career-high 57 points in 67 games.

He’s now the Knights’ No. 1 defenseman with Alex Pietrangelo (hip) on long-term injured reserve.

Pietrangelo, a two-time Stanley Cup champion, was a workhorse who played in all situations. He was also a trusted voice in the locker room. Replacing him isn’t easy.

“A little bit of change this year with Petro out, but I feel like I’m starting to come into my own here and play some better hockey,” Theodore said.

Theodore, with Pietrangelo out, is averaging a career-high 24:06 of ice time per game. He and partner Brayden McNabb are handling the extra responsibility well.

The Knights have outscored opponents 10-4 at five-on-five with the duo on the ice, according to the website Natural Stat Trick.

Making things work

Theodore has had to make sacrifices to take on some of Pietrangelo’s duties.

He was bumped off the first power-play unit after scoring a career-high 19 points on the man advantage last season. He’s averaging 2:20 of power-play time per game, down from 2:39 a year ago.

Theodore has still found a way to be productive despite the switch. He scored on the man advantage Tuesday for the second unit’s second goal in as many games.

“I think just simplifying it,” Theodore said on what’s worked for the group. “We have guys at the net, we have sticks in front, some of the hands are right. We’re getting good looks. We’re getting looks on the weak side.”

Killing penalties, too

Theodore is seeing less time on the power play in part because he’s getting more time on the penalty kill.

He’s third on the Knights in short-handed ice time at 33:59. Theodore played 106:57 on the penalty kill the previous eight seasons combined.

Coach Bruce Cassidy, despite handing Theodore additional duties, doesn’t want him to put too much pressure on himself to live up to Pietrangelo’s example. He also doesn’t want Theodore to stress about trying to make Team Canada for the Winter Olympics in February.

Theodore made Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off but played only one period before breaking his wrist.

“For a guy like him, we want more consistency because of who he is and what he’s done in this league,” Cassidy said. “Now we’re getting it. So hopefully (the first 14 games was) his hiccup.”

Theodore, for his part, isn’t focused on traveling to Italy for the Olympics at the moment. He’s focused on continuing to round out his game with the Knights.

“I’m not worried about that right now. I’m worried about playing my best hockey for this team and getting wins,” Theodore said. “Obviously if that comes, that’s great, but my focus is every single night here for the Golden Knights. I think the better you play here, the better your chances are.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.