LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Injuries are once again hitting the Golden Knights, with key players like Mark Stone and William Carrier still out, but the players say the injuries are just part of the game, and the mentality is.... next man up.
Eight VGK players are currently nursing different injuries right now, many of which are contributing starters.
This does not include Robin Lehner. Nolan Patrick and Shea Weber, who are all out for the season.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy says defenseman Alec Martinez has been out with an illness, but is feeling better.
Cassidy also says he doesn't see the injuries as an excuse, but does think those injuries add up to tough losses.
"No excuses but Stony who is an interior presence guy, Will Carrier is a net front guy, Brett Howden even brings part of that," Cassidy said. "So you're talking about three forwards that do a really good job with that."
VGK forward Jack Eichel, who dealt with his own injuries recently, says he's confident about the depth of the team.
"We never want to....you know be down Stony or Theo," Eichel said. "Obviously, injuries happen, but we got to find a way to get through it. I think there's a lot of guys that haven stepped up in different times in the season."
Other players like Jonathan Marchessault say overall, it's up to them to make sure these injuries aren't a copy of what happened last year.
"We got to show that we care," Marchessault said. "We need to be better and it starts with a guy like me. it's hard to get the production, but the effort level, it's not hard to be there every game."
The Golden Knights will hit the ice again at home tomorrow at 7 p.m. against the Detroit Red Wings.