Golden Knights’ Alex Pietrangelo, William Karlsson to return to lineup vs. Avalanche

Vegas Golden Knights‘ head coach Bruce Cassidy announced that defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and center William Karlsson are both expected to play in Wednesday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.

Pietrangelo has missed the last week of hockey due to an upper-body injury that he suffered after taking a puck to the face during last Wednesday’s 3-0 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He missed three games as a result, with the Golden Knights winning all three games in his absence.

Pietrangelo has been having the most productive season of his career so far, with 2 goals and 12 assists for 14 points in 19 games. That puts him on pace for 58 points this season, which would be a career high.

Pietrangelo is expected to slot back into the lineup in the top four alongside his usual running mate this season in Noah Hanifin. The duo have played 194:24 of ice time together with mixed results, getting outscored 15-13 and sporting a 47.52% 5v5 expected goal share in those minutes.

Karlsson has only been out for one game, missing the Golden Knights’ 5-4 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers. He didn’t miss the game due to an injury, but instead to attend the birth of his second child.

Karlsson has missed some time already this season, but when he’s been in the lineup, he’s also been very productive. In 13 games, he has 4 goals and 6 assists for 10 points, a 56-point pace that’s on par with his past two seasons.

Karlsson is expected to play on the Golden Knights’ third line between Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev. In 17:06 of ice time, the trio have been outscored 1-0 but are driving play with a 55.94% 5v5 expected goal share.

The Golden Knights will look to build on their three-game winning streak when they visit the Avalanche at 7 p.m. PST. Vegas is currently first in the Pacific Division with a 14-6-2 record.