The Vegas Golden Knights received a scare on Sunday against the Minnesota Wild. Winger Ivan Barbashev got tangled up with Marcus Foligno in the second period, leaving him to exit the game. Fans were uncertain about the Russian forward's whereabouts until Tuesday rolled in.
Ivan Barbashev is considered day-to-day. Status seems uncertain for the games this week.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) December 17, 2024
Nic Roy is a maintenance day and is expected back tomorrow.
Ben Hutton has been skating and may be back in practice in a red jersey as soon as tomorrow.
Considering the circumstances, that was better news than expected for a Golden Knights team returning to full health. While a player will be called up in his absence, the day-to-day designation will put any worries to rest for a team getting closer to full health. Fans can also expect a rising player like Pavel Dorofeyev or Victor Olofsson to take the left-wing spot on the top line.
While some fans will remember the last time a Golden Knights star was designated as day-to-day (Mark Stone), Stone's recovery process took longer than expected. Therefore, some fans will take this news with a grain of salt similar to what happened with the Captain's lower-body injury. You can imagine fans panicking over Barbashev's extended absence.
But what does it mean for the Golden Knights as they head into a bulk of their home games? Will the upcoming holiday stretch provide relief for the team until Barbashev rests up to full health? The team is in for even more good news as they return to T-Mobile Arena on Thursday. Here's what's in store as their Russian winger rests up.
Who gets the call-up to the top line? What else should the Golden Knights look for?
The Golden Knights aren't worrying too much about the upcoming home stretch. 10 of their next 12 games will be at T-Mobile Arena, with only two teams (Vancouver Canucks and Minnesota Wild) being in a playoff position. That should relieve the 29-year-old winger as he rests up from his upper-body injury.
Of course, that could change in the next month. However, the Golden Knights will have a sense of relief after a successful yet challenging three-game road trip. But who gets the call-up to the top line in his absence? Is it Victor Olofsson and his seven goals in 11 games this season? Or is it Pavel Dorofeyev and his 12 goals?
On Tuesday, the answer appeared to be Dorofeyev, who joined Jack Eichel and Mark Stone on line rushes. Olofsson was on the second line alongside Tomas Hertl and Brett Howden. As it stands, the fellow Russian winger should relieve his countrymen on the first unit, barring a change.
It could be a much-needed call-up, too. The 24-year-old only has one assist in December. The promotion could help Dorofeyev find his scoring mojo again, especially with Eichel as his center. By the way, the pair have scored five goals as linemates (55.56 GF%) with a Corsi of 49.20% (123:51 TOI), according to Natural Stat Trick. Those numbers can improve if the duo plays together in the upcoming weeks.
In the meantime, Barbashev will kick back and enjoy a soda while his upper body heals. The team has him covered in the coming weeks, hoping to bring home as many points as possible. After all, a well-rested body performs the best.