Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Coach finds energy in lineup tweaks
DeBoer continues to tinker with bottom six
The Golden Knights tweaked their bottom six in their overtime win at the St. Louis Blues on Friday and continued to mix things up Saturday.
Tomas Nosek stayed at third-line center after moving there in the second period Friday and recording a goal and an assist. Cody Glass was scratched and replaced in the lineup by Patrick Brown, who made his season debut.
“I talked at the beginning of the season that we were going to try and use our depth and rotate guys in and out in these situations in order to give us some energy,” coach Pete DeBoer said after Saturday’s 5-1 victory at Enterprise Center. “I thought that’s exactly what it did. (Nosek) gave us some energy in his new role when we moved him up there, and I thought (Brown) came in and gave us some real good legs and energy.”
The Knights have tinkered with their bottom six throughout the season in search of combinations that click. The team has outscored opponents 36-21 at five-on-five with its top two centers — Chandler Stephenson and William Karlsson — on the ice. It’s been outscored 20-17 with those two on the bench.
Nosek, left wing Alex Tuch and right wing Nicolas Roy were on the ice for two goals Friday, so DeBoer decided they were worth another look Saturday.
“We had good chemistry there,” Roy said Friday. “It was fun to play with him.”
Nosek’s promotion meant Glass was moved to the fourth line Friday before being scratched Saturday.
Glass has nine points in 20 games but has struggled lately. He has two points in his past 12 games and none in his last five. He is one of four forwards on the team without a fiveon-five goal. He has scored three times on the power play.
Glass was replaced by Brown, the captain of the Silver Knights. The 28-year-old appeared in one regular-season and two postseason games last season for the Golden Knights and scored two goals. He has six points in eight American Hockey League games this season.
Martinez stays clutch
Defenseman Alec Martinez’s second goal of the season Friday came at an important time for the Knights. David Perron put the Blues ahead 4-3 with 9:20 remaining, but Martinez responded 47 seconds later to tie the game.
The 33-year-old has scored timely goals throughout his career. He scored two series winners during the Los Angeles Kings’ march to the 2014 Stanley Cup, including the championship clinching goal in double overtime.
“He has the ability to recognize that something special needs to happen,” DeBoer said. “One of the most impressive things about him in the time he’s been with us is, for me, his ability to raise his level at key times.”