Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Good addition
Rugged wing Reaves joins close-knit locker room
Newest Golden Knight Ryan Reaves will be a good fit in the locker room, an old acquaintance says.
Right wing Ryan Reaves will be a good fit with the Golden Knights, a former and now current teammate said.
Knights forward David Perron and Reaves were teammates with the St. Louis Blues. Perron said Reaves, acquired Friday from the Pittsburgh Penguins in a three-way trade, will be a welcome addition on the ice and in the locker room.
“He likes chirping, and we have done a lot of that in the room, and I feel that’s what makes us close,” Perron said. “I give him about two days and he will be right in the mix, and he will probably be the one chirping the most.
“I think the respect level from other teams of having him and Deryk Engelland, also, are going to allow guys to play their game and be confident in any type of game.”
Reaves will practice with the Golden Knights for the first time Sunday
Hyka, Matteau reassigned
To make room for Reaves and James Neal, who is expected to be activated off injured reserve after battling the flu, the Knights sent Tomas Hyka and Stefan Matteau to their American Hockey League affiliate in Chicago on Saturday.
Hyka scored his first NHL goal in Friday’s 6-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Matteau played two games and did not have a point.
Theodore skates
Defenseman Shea Theodore, who has missed the past four games because of a sore throat and is on injured reserve, skated Saturday morning at City National Arena. He’s eligible to be activated at any time.
“It was good to see him out there, and it’s a definite sign he’s getting better,” coach Gerard Gallant said. “Hopefully we get him back soon.”
Line shake-up
In another attempt to get Oscar Lindberg going, Gallant shook up his lines in the second period Friday. He put Erik Haula on Lindberg’s line and moved Tomas Nosek with Perron and Alex Tuch.
The move didn’t get Lindberg out of his offensive funk, as he failed to score for the 27th straight game. But the line played with more energy, and Nosek and Perron each scored a goal.
“I wanted to shake up the lines a little bit,” Gallant said. “I wanted to change it up, and it worked out. Some nights it doesn’t, and (Friday) it did.”