Trip gives defenseman chance for family time
Holden grew up 15 minutes from Oilers’ arena
EDMONTON, Alberta — Defenseman Nick Holden was excited to see friends and family on the Golden Knights’ day off before playing the Oilers 15 minutes from where he grew up in St. Albert.
The weather he could do without.
“It’s so funny,” he said after morning skate at Rogers Place on Sunday. “It’s been 13 years since I actually lived a winter back here. I think I’m getting a little soft, because any kind of cold or snow, I’m like, ‘What is this?’ But it’s nice to always come back even if it is a little chilly.”
An overnight snow added to the healthy covering around town, but temperatures actually rose into the 30s.
Holden was able to have dinner at his brother’s house Saturday night, and his wife and kids made the trip from Las Vegas to make it a family affair, as they were joined by his sister and their parents. They also got a chance to visit his grandparents.
He was expecting at least 20 people at Sunday’s game.
“Anytime you get to come home and play in front of your friends and family, it’s special,” he said. “Obviously, the amount of work your friends and family do for youtogettothislevelisso important and appreciated, so it’s kind of their moment, too. “It’s definitely fun for me.” Despite his close proximity to a storied NHL franchise, Holden actually grew up a Red Wings fan.
“I definitely cheered for the Oilers come playoff time, though,” he admitted.
Changing it up
Oscar Lindberg started on the third line Sunday night, replacing Tomas Nosek.
Coach Gerard Gallant said before the game that Nosek was “questionable,” though he did not elaborate.
Nosek is carrying a minus-7 rating this month and has just an assist in eight games. He has a goal and an assist and a minus-14 rating this season.
Lindberg was joined by Ryan Carpenter and Tomas Hyka on the third line.
Looking ahead
The Knights face the Flames on Monday night and will have to be ready to play the entire 60 minutes.
Calgary leads the league with 32 goals in the third period, five ahead of both the Predators and Avalanche entering play on Sunday.
The Flames only have 28 combined goals in the first two periods.
Elias Lindholm and Sean Monahan each have seven third-period goals for the Flames, tied with Boston’s David Pastrnak for tops in the NHL.
Calgary is coming off a 4-2 win over the rival Oilers on Saturday when they rallied with three goals in the final 20 minutes.
The Golden Knights entered play Sunday with 17 goals in the final period.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com or 702-277-8028. Follow @Adamhilllvrj on Twitter.