William Carrier’s return felt throughout Knights’ lineup at key time

No matter where William Carrier is in the Golden Knights’ lineup, his impact is felt.

Since the left wing returned March 14 after missing two months with an upper-body surgery, there’s a collective understanding of the need to be more aggressive on the forecheck.

Rehab from surgery is never exciting, but it was tougher for Carrier watching the Knights go 13-11-2 without him.

They’re 2-2-0 since coming back, and having Carrier’s wrecking-ball mentality has paid off in the Knights’ last two wins.

“I feel great. Body feels unbelievable,” Carrier said.

Carrier scored the game-winning goal Sunday in a 3-1 win over the New Jersey Devils after deflecting a shot from defenseman Alex Pietrangelo.

Though he moved to the second line Thursday, the fourth line delivered another game-winning goal when right wing Keegan Kolesar scored with 1:20 remaining in the 3-1 win over the Seattle Kraken.

Carrier’s return has brought back an aggressive identity that was missing — not just from the fourth line — one reliant on forechecking and maintaining puck possession.

“He gives us lots of energy on the bench, in the room,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “He’s a perfect piece for that identity line that we use to establish forecheck and start periods.”

While Carrier wasn’t in his usual role Thursday on the fourth line, it brought some balance back to the Knights’ lineup. The move allowed Chandler Stephenson to go back to second-line center to be a playmaker for right wing Anthony Mantha.

After a lengthy look as a top-six center because of injuries throughout the roster, Nic Roy returned to his usual fourth-line role with Brett Howden at left wing.

Neither line looked out of place. Stephenson’s trio was outshot 9-7 at five-on-five, but had a 3-0 edge in high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick.

The fourth line had three scoring chances, including Kolesar’s winning goal.

“They moved (Roy) a bit when I left,” Carrier said. “When I came back, they kind of know we can play the 10, 12 minutes together. But no matter who’s there, they know what they’re getting.”

There can be a sense of frustration with production, given where Carrier was this time last season.

Despite playing 56 games, Carrier scored a career-high 16 goals and 25 points. This season has seen just eight points (six goals, two assists), but he’s a plus-4 at five-on-five.

Having Carrier back is another sign the Knights are inching closer to full health. As was the case Thursday, tough decisions will need to be made.

It’s likely Carrier moves back to a permanent residence on the fourth line. Center Tomas Hertl is inching closer to a return from knee surgery — and eventual Knights debut — and that will move a regular to the bench.

Hertl is skating on his own and is still on track to play in the regular season, but there is no timetable for his debut.

That’s down the road. The Knights (37-25-7) will end a four-game homestand Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets (23-34-12) with hopes of earning six of a possible eight points.

The Knights created some needed room in the standings with their win Thursday.

Their lead over the St. Louis Blues for the final wild-card berth is at four points with a game in hand, and the Knights are two points back of the Los Angeles Kings for third place in the Pacific Division.

While the Knights got back to playing their brand of defensive hockey Thursday, a more aggressive, physical game might also be back with Carrier’s presence in the fold.

“I think we were pretty solid,” Carrier said. “We’re back to defending well and checking well, and the offense is coming.”

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