Pietrangelo takes one more stride toward returning
D-man who hurt arm March 6 closer to playing, Deboer says
Alex Pietrangelo is another step closer to returning to the Golden Knights.
The defenseman participated in Monday’s morning skate wearing a red, noncontact jersey and is day to day, according to coach Pete Deboer.
Pietrangelo remains on long-term injured reserve and did not play Monday night against the Los Angeles Kings at T-mobile Arena.
“Obviously, getting closer,” Deboer said after the morning skate. “It’s just all how he responds the next day to what we did today. Had a good skate (Sunday) and responded well today, and we’ll see how he is (Tuesday).”
Pietrangelo missed the past 12 games after he blocked a shot with his left hand/arm in the final three minutes of a March 6 victory at San Jose.
He is eligible to be activated from long-term IR on Wednesday.
Pietrangelo, who also missed three games in February while in NHL Covidprotocol, has two goals and 10 points in 18 games.
The Knights won seven of their first 11 games without Pietrangelo, as rookie defenseman Dylan Coghlan logged major minutes on the blue line.
“I particularly really liked how he played the last 10 games prior to the injury,” Deboer said of Pietrangelo. “He was starting to really look comfortable. Hopefully, he can come in and pick up where he left off. With our schedule in April, we’re going to need all hands on deck.”
Glass returns
Center Cody Glass was called up from the taxi squad, and his play during this upcoming stretch of games could determine whether the Knights become active at the April 12 trade deadline.
The No. 6 pick in the 2017 draft continues to develop slowly following major knee surgery in 2020 and hasn’t locked down a permanent lineup spot. Before Monday, Glass had one goal in his past nine appearances and one even-strength assist since Feb. 13.
The Knights have used Tomas Nosek at third-line center this month with some success and experimented in that spot with other players such as Nicolas Roy trying to find consistent production.
Glass skated on the third line with wingers Alex Tuch and Keegan Kolesar against the Kings and also saw time with the No. 2 power-play unit.
“For me, he started to look a little fatigued toward the end of the stretch of games we were playing,” Deboer said of Glass. “It’s something that happens all over the league with young players, and it’s something that we expected.”
Video game all-stars
Goalie Marc-andre Fleury and leading goal scorer Max Pacioretty were voted West Division Hockey Ultimate Team all-stars for EA Sports’ NHL21 video game.
They were joined by Colorado forwards Nathan Mackinnon and Mikko Rantanen, Los Angeles defenseman Drew Doughty and St. Louis defenseman Torey Krug.
College defenseman signs
Quinnipiac defenseman Peter Diliberatore signed a three-year, entry-level contract. He is expected to start his career with the Silver Knights in the American Hockey League.
Diliberatore was a sixthround pick in 2018 and had 20 points (six goals, 14 assists) in 29 games as a junior to help Quinnipiac reach the NCAA Tournament.
He was a third-team All-eastern College Athletic Conference selection in 201920 and finished his three-year career with 60 points (15 goals, 45 assists) and 113 penalty minutes in 101 games.