The Vegas Golden Knights are getting some bad news. The team’s points leader Jack Eichel is out with an undisclosed injury, per ESPN. Eichel’s timetable for return isn’t specified.
Eichel got hurt in a game on Thursday against the Boston Bruins. The center has 44 points on the season, and the club must quickly find someone to step up and replace his offense. The Golden Knights are struggling, having lost 8 of their last 11 games. The team dropped a 3-1 game to the Calgary Flames on Saturday night, the first without Eichel in the lineup.
“The latest update I got today is he’ll miss a little bit of time,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said on Saturday, per ESPN. “But I don’t know how much time.”
Eichel has 19 goals on the season for Las Vegas. Despite this skid, the club is having one of the best seasons of any team in the Western Conference. The Golden Knights are second in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division, with 53 points. But teams behind them, including the Edmonton Oilers, are surging and nearing Vegas in the standings. The Golden Knights are 24-14-5 on the season.
Eichel has done a little bit of everything for the club’s offense this season. In 42 games, the center has 25 assists to go with his goal totals. Mark Stone, William Karlsson and others on the club are going to have to pick up the slack for Vegas to remain competitive in the Pacific division.
Vegas next plays the Nashville Predators on Monday. The game begins at 6:00 Eastern. The Predators are 24-18-1 on the year.
More must-reads: