Sunday’s homecoming proved to be a house of horrors for the Vegas Golden Knights who were humbled on home ice, but they were dealt a bigger blow in controversial circumstances.
After taking five points from a possible six on the three-game east coast road trip last week, the Vegas Golden Knights returned to T-Mobile Arena today to take on the New York Rangers, a team they dismantled last week.
But the Blueshirts were baying for blood and revenge and they got it, jumping out to a quick lead before going on to dominate the rest of the contest on the way to a 5-0 win.
However, the worst part of the night, and something that could have long-term consequences for the Knights, took place in the second period.
Playing the puck along the boards, Cody Glass took a hit from the Rangers’ Brendan Lemieux in the corner, with the latter’s elbow coming up to hit the rookie in the head.
Now, first thing’s first, there was uproar among Vegas fans in the wake of the hit calling it a dirty play.
Here's the hit.
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) December 9, 2019
Glass is eventually helped to his feet by Marchessault and Stone, and taken off the ice without putting much weight on his legs at all. https://t.co/y6gsCRR7G5
Having covered the Rangers, I don’t think Lemieux is a dirty player, he just plays with an edge and if you watch the video of the hit, he goes in to complete the hit and I think the elbow coming up was unintentional.
It was a clean hit and we could argue all day long about whether the elbow after was intentional or not, personally I didn’t think it was and I believe you have to take the momentum part into consideration.
You may disagree with me and think I’m wrong, but that is just my opinion. Sometimes, and especially in situations like this, you have to take a step back and take the emotion out of it before dissecting the incident.
Before we get on to Glass, I was surprised that Ryan Reaves didn’t go after Lemieux in the wake of that hit. William Carrier did and the two dropped the gloves in the third period, but I was somewhat shocked that Reaves didn’t look to stick up for his teammate straightaway given his reputation.
Now, again, having covered the Rangers, Lemieux would have gone at it with Reaves too because he doesn’t step down from anyone, and it would have actually been an entertaining fight to watch.
Anyway, let’s get back to what matters and that is Cody Glass. First and foremost, it goes without saying that we all hope the 20-year-old is okay.
Watching the hit again and Glass’ reaction after, all signs point to the injury being a possible concussion, as much as it pains me to say that.
I really hope it isn’t, but it sure looks like it could be and Glass’ struggle to get off the ice, he was helped off by Jonathan Marchessault and Mark Stone, suggests that it is a high possibility.
As we’re seeing with Cody Eakin right now, concussions or upper-body injuries related to the head aren’t small deals and Eakin is currently considered week-to-week, although it is thought to be more significant than that.
So, if Glass does indeed have a concussion, then it will probably be a while before we see the rookie again, which is a huge shame.
The forward has 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 32 games this year, with six of those points coming on the power play, and he was really starting to find his feet at 5-on-5 too.
He had arguably one of his best games against the New York Islanders on Thursday, dominating play at 5-on-5 while centering the third line between William Carrier and Alex Tuch.
Glass was averaging a 42.5 winning percentage in the faceoff circle, while blocking five shots, dishing out 12 hits and helping himself to 12 takeaways.
If Glass is indeed out for a while, which I think we should all assume he will be, then it will be a huge blow to the Golden Knights.
It will also severely test their depth with Eakin out too, and it means that Chandler Stephenson will likely bump up to the third line, with Nicolas Roy being recalled from the AHL to center the fourth line.
In the meantime, we will wait for news on Cody Glass and we can only hope it isn’t as serious as it looked.
I don’t think the NHL will look at the hit again and, as I’ve previously mentioned, I don’t think Brendan Lemieux should be suspended because the elbow clearly looked unintentional, but that’s just my opinion.
It was a sloppy play, rather than anything sinister.
Anyway, let’s wish Cody Glass the best and hope for some positive news from the coaching staff in the coming days.