Whitecloud gets first start in NHL against Edmonton
Replaces Schmidt on defense; paired with Mcnabb
EDMONTON, Alberta — After spending nearly a month adjusting to life in the pros, Zach Whitecloud finally played in his first NHL game Thursday.
The defenseman from Bemidji State was in the lineup for the Golden Knights against the Edmonton Oilers.
“It’s exciting for myself and my family,” Whitecloud, 21, said after Thursday morning’s skate at Rogers Place. “I just want to go out there, play my game and not be out of character. You don’t want to be someone you’re not. I just want to keep things simple, do my best and help the team.”
Whitecloud, a collegiate free agent, signed a threeyear entry-level contract with the Knights on March 8. The native of Brandon, Manitoba, has been practicing with the team ever since. And with coach Gerard Gallant allowing some of his banged-up players to rest before the Stanley Cup playoffs, it was the ideal spot to give Whitecloud a chance.
He replaced Nate Schmidt and was paired with
Brayden Mcnabb.
“We want to see the kid play,” Gallant said. “He’s been with us for a while now and he knows what we’re all about so it’s time to get him in there.”
Smith still sidelined
When Reilly Smith skated Thursday in a white jersey, it appeared he was ready to return to the lineup against the Oilers. But Gallant said Smith would not play. It’s the 15th consecutive game the forward has missed since sustaining an upper-body injury March 6.
“He’s not quite ready,” Gallant said. “He’s real close, though.”
Brandon Pirri, who scored twice in Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout win over Vancouver, remained in the lineup, skating on the top line with William Karlsson and Alex Tuch.
Erik Haula was also in the lineup Thursday after sitting out Tuesday.
Karlsson leads plus/minus
Karlsson, who with 43 goals is third in the NHL behind Washington’s Alex Ovechkin (47) and Winnipeg’s Patrik Laine (44), is the league leader in plus/minus at plus-49.
He is shooting to be the first player in eight years to be plus-50. Defenseman Jeff Schultz was the last player to do so; he was plus-50 for the 2009-10 season with Washington.
Plus/minus measures a player’s goal differential in 5-on-5 play. A player on the ice when his team scores receives a plus; a player on the ice when his team is scored upon receives a minus. The differential is the player’s plus/minus statistic.
The Knights have the NHL’S top three players in plus/minus. After Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault at plus-37 and Smith is plus-32.
Contact Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow @ stevecarprj on Twitter.