The Vegas Golden Knights could be welcoming their biggest off- from laiyongcai92's blog

NEW YORK —season addition back to the lineup Friday night as the New Jersey Devils adjust to the absence of their best player.Paul Stastny appears likely to return to the Golden Knights when Vegas continues an Eastern Conference road swing Friday by visiting the Devils at Prudential Center.The Golden Knights last played Wednesday Authentic Joe Pavelski Jersey , when they began the trip by beating the host New York Islanders, 3-2. The Devils haven’t hit the ice since Monday night, when they capped a Western Conference road trip by falling to the San Jose Sharks, 5-2.Article continues below ...Stastny, who signed a three-year deal as a free agent July 1, has been out since suffering a lower body injury Oct. 8, He joined the Golden Knights (18-14-1) on the road trip –Vegas will visit the New York Rangers Sunday and the Columbus Blue Jackets Monday — and skated at Thursday’s practice in New Jersey. Head coach Gerard Gallant said following practice that Stastny is ready to play in a game Joe Thornton Jersey , though he didn’t say if that would happen Friday.For his part, Stastny said he will understand if he doesn’t return to the lineup right away. The Golden Knights, who made a stunning run to the Stanley Cup Final as an expansion franchise last season, have won 10 of 13 to move into a playoff spot in the Western Conference.“Everyone’s playing well right now, right?” Stastny told the Las Vegas Review-Journal after practice Thursday. “When you’re winning, different lines are stepping up on different nights. Whatever the coaches feel comfortable with, I’ll do and respect that.”The skidding Devils (10-13-6) would feel much more comfortable knowing star left winger Taylor Hall would be available Friday night. Hall Joonas Donskoi Jersey , who won the Hart Trophy as the NHL’s most valuable player last season, left practice early Thursday with an undisclosed ailment.“I don’t have much for you yet,” Devils coach John Hynes told reporters afterward. “I just know they pulled him off for precautionary reasons and I haven’t talked to them yet.”Even with Hall, who is one of just six Devils to play in all 29 game this season, New Jersey has lost eight of nine (1-4-4) to fall into last place in the Eastern Conference. A pair of number one goalies are likely to oppose each other in net Friday night.Marc Andre-Fleury earned the win Wednesday for the Golden Knights, when he made 23 saves against the Islanders. Keith Kinkaid took the loss for the Devils Monday night after recording 29 saves against the Sharks.Fleury is 24-25-3 in 53 career games against the Devils, whom he’s faced more than any other opponent aside from the New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. Kinkaid won his only career start against the Golden Knights last Mar. 14 Justin Braun Jersey Kids , when he stopped 39 shots as New Jersey cruised to an 8-3 win in Las Vegas. WINNIPEG, Manitoba (AP) That 15-game goal drought was not bothering Blake Wheeler. And now it is over.Wheeler scored twice and added an assist and Mark Scheifele assisted on three goals as the Winnipeg Jets defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-1 on Friday night.”With the amount of ice time I get, the guys I play with, the expectation would be that you’d score a goal once in a while,” said Wheeler, who has 16 goals and 48 assists through 58 games. ”Sometimes it doesn’t happen. It’s a crazy game. I had 13 shots the last two games before this one, and one behind the goal line goes in. I don’t lose much sleep over it.”Article continues below ...Scheifele now has seven points in his last three games. It was his fourth game back since he missed 16 with an upper-body injury.”We did the right things all game Youth Kevin Labanc Jersey ,” Scheifele said. ”We didn’t get away from it and it showed.”Kyle Connor, Andrew Copp, Patrik Laine and Nikolaj Ehlers also scored for Winnipeg, which is 5-2-1 during its 10-game homestand. Dustin Byfuglien and Tyler Myers each had two assists and Laine added one.Connor Hellebuyck made 30 saves to pick up his 30th win of the season. It was the most wins by a Jets goalie since the franchise moved to Winnipeg from Atlanta prior to the 2011-12 season. Ondrej Pavelec had 29 wins the first season.Avalanche forward Mikko Rantanen nixed Hellebuyck’s shutout bid when he scored unassisted on a wraparound with 5:56 left in the third period.Colorado goalie Jonathan Bernier was pulled following the second period after Winnipeg went up 4-0 on 20 shots. Semyon Varlamov stopped six of the eight shots he faced in relief for the Avalanche.”He got hit in the head there on a play around the net and was going in for the concussion protocol so we put (Varlamov) in,” Colorado coach Jared Bednar said. ”I haven’t caught up with the trainers yet (to check his status).”Wheeler’s drought-ending goal – he had a dozen assists during that span while playing center – came when his shot from behind the goal line hit Bernier’s left skate and slid inside the post at 10:09 of the first period.The Jets outmuscled and stole the puck just before their first two goals in the second.Byfuglien won a battle along the boards with winger Gabriel Landeskog and passed the puck to Connor for his 19th goal of the season at 10:49.Scheifele then stole the puck from Rantanen while Winnipeg was short-handed and went on a two-on-one for Copp’s fifth goal of the season at 15:50.Four seconds after Avalanche forward Gabriel Bourque went to the penalty box for goaltender interference, Laine scored his team-leading 26th goal and NHL-leading 15th power play of the season on a one-timer with 28 seconds left in the period.Ehlers deflected in a Myers’ shot from the point 5:24 into the third period for his 22nd goal. Wheeler put in his second of the game at 7:54 with a shot through over Varlamov’s glove.Rantanen finished off the game’s scoring with his 18th of the season.”We didn’t play our best game in the first, but we were still in the game Martin Jones Jersey ,” Rantanen said. ”Then they get a second goal. Then we get a power play and a chance to get it to 2-1, but then a turnover by me and it’s 3-0. It’s a tough, tough play but I have to get over it.”UP NEXTThe Avalanche go home to take on Edmonton on Sunday.The Jets host Florida Sunday night.