Watch for this Golden Knights forward against the Minnesota Wild

Vegas Golden Knights fans, it's time for Wade Barrett to deliver some bad news. Hit it, Wade.

No, it's not John Cena suddenly becoming a bad guy. The 16-time world champion's seemed to have soured like the Seattle Kraken's hopes of being the Golden Knights of the Pacific Northwest. So much for being the "Greatest Expansion Story Ever Told," eh?

Instead, it's Tomas Hertl missing the upcoming road trip. He sustained an upper-body injury on an Emil Lilleberg boarding play on Sunday. It resulted in a two-minute minor penalty and the team's leading scorer leaving the game. How much longer will he be out? That remains to be seen.

One thing's for certain, though. Bruce Cassidy's looking for a guy or two to step up. That means one forward must carry the scoring load for the upcoming trip. Who knows? That guy might be called upon to do more beyond those three games.

Luckily, there's a guy who fits the bill, at least for Tuesday's game against the Minnesota Wild. He's had a quiet season overall by Golden Knights standards, scoring 11 goals and 15 assists. However, he's starting to heat up, scoring two goals in his last two games. Hey, it's not easy picking up the slack on the lower lines, you know?

Watch for Nicolas Roy against the Minnesota Wild

The last two games have seen Nicolas Roy emerge into a scoring force. On Saturday, he scored a goal in a 6-3 Golden Knights victory over Detroit. On Sunday, he had a power play goal in a 4-2 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Mind you, he had seven goals heading into March. The 28-year-old had been relatively quiet throughout 2024-25, being a far cry from his 2023-24 campaign (13 goals and 28 assists). However, he's scored four goals this month, including two in his last two games.

How, you might ask? Well, he's shifted back to center. Now Roy's back to running his own line again. No longer is he playing as a wingman for teammates like Brett Howden. The keys are back in his hands and he's thriving off the added responsibility. Take this buzzer-beater as a perfect example.

He enters in transition alongside Ivan Barbashev, gets the feed, and puts away the puck past Cam Talbot. Little plays like this make the forward tough to deal with on the lower lines. When given the chance to run his unit, he thrives in the spotlight.

How he can help the Vegas Golden Knights win on Tuesday

Currently, the Minnesota Wild are banged up. They're missing Kirill Kaprizov and Marco Rossi due to lower-body injuries, leaving them decimated at the forward position. They've also played better from a defensive standpoint, surrendering two goals in the last two home games.

That's why Roy must keep it going on Tuesday. The lower lines will have the daunting task of handling the lockdown blue liners. That means controlling all three zones and taking control of the game early.

If Roy and the Golden Knights can get this done, they should have no problem beating the Wild. It could ease the pain of losing Hertl during the road trip, especially if the Quebec native's on the power play. Who knows? He might pick up some scoring on the unit, too. Now that would be great news.