Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel (9) skates against the Buffalo Sabres during the first period of an NHL hockey game at T-Mobile Arena Friday, Dec. 15, 2023.
Published Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024 | 12:18 p.m.
Updated 3 minutes ago
Golden Knights center Jack Eichel had surgery regarding a lower-body injury and is considered week-to-week, the team announced today.
The injury occurred Thursday in Vegas’ 2-1 overtime win over the Boston Bruins. Eichel left the ice with 15:36 remaining in the second period with what initially looked like an issue with his skate blade. He was helped to the bench by his teammates, but later went down the tunnel with the TV broadcast catching Eichel hunched over in pain.
“I just lost my blade, felt something,” Eichel said after the game. “Came in here to get checked out.”
Eichel returned with just under two minutes remaining in the period and played the rest of the game. He had a goal and an assist in the victory.
Eichel said that he felt fine. Coach Bruce Cassidy said Eichel felt sore the next day and underwent further evaluation with the medical staff.
Cassidy said that Eichel was going to miss “a little bit of time, but I don’t know how much time. Obviously not good news for us, or Jack.”
Eichel was placed on injured reserve Sunday, which meant he would be required to miss seven days from when the injury took place, and would have forced him to miss a third straight game on Thursday against the New York Rangers.
It’s the first games Eichel missed all season.
Now, the Golden Knights have to move forward without their star center who was on pace to have the best season of his career.
Eichel was named an All-Star for the fourth time in his career on Jan. 4. The Golden Knights’ representative for the NHL’s mid-season classic had 44 points (19 goals, 25 assists) in 42 games prior to the injury.
“It’s a big honor any time you’re recognized by the league,” Eichel said on Jan. 5. “I think there’s a lot of deserving guys in this room, so to be able to represent not only the team, but the organization and the city is a huge honor. I take a lot of pride in that. You can never take those things for granted.”
Eichel is the latest big name to be added to a crowded injury report.
Defenseman Shea Theodore is still week-to-week after having surgery on an upper-body injury in late November; center William Karlsson has been out since Jan. 1 with a lower-body injury and is week-to-week; goalie Adin Hill has skated and could be close to a return from a lower-body injury that’s kept him out since Nov. 30, but he has yet to feel comfortable returning to game action.
The Golden Knights have seven players on injured reserve.
Vegas has two games remaining of a current stretch playing seven of eight games at home; the Golden Knights improved to 3-3-0 in that run after a 4-1 win against the Nashville Predators on Monday. Mark Stone recorded his first regular-season hat trick in the victory.
It was just the third time in the last 10 games the Golden Knights scored at least three goals in a game. They’ll have to find a formula that works without Eichel going forward.
“I’m not going to be Jack Eichel. Whoever is not going to be Shea Theodore,” Stone said Monday. “You’ve just got to be the best version of yourself, play that team game. We’ve had different guys step up at different times, for sure. You’ve just got to play your game.”
Danny Webster can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Danny on X at twitter.com/DannyWebster21.
