Asked what he was thankful for this Thanksgiving, Gerard Gallant mentioned his job and two newborn grandchildren.
He's probably also happy about the recent play of his youngsters, chiefly Brendan Leipsic and Shea Theodore.
In back-to-back wins against Vancouver and Los Angeles, Leipsic has provided a boost in all three zones.
Gallant noted, "Leipsic has sat out more than any other player. And he's responded very well the last two games.
"You can't have those big turnovers. You have to play your game in the offensive zone. But you have to make sure you're working just as hard defensively."
Theodore was benched for three games after a costly mistake in Toronto, but he
rallied with a star turn in Vancouver. However, against the Kings, a couple second period mistakes
almost proved costly.
To Gallant's credit, he stuck with the supremely-talented 22-year-old; the youngster played the third-most minutes among all Vegas blueliners.
Gallant expanded, "We give our players a chance. People are going to make mistakes. Especially young players.
"There's a fine line. We want to win games. That's our number-one objective.
"Ryan McGill is doing a great job of coaching the D. I trust his decision of how much to play him and when to play him.
"But I thought Shea, for the last two games, has played really good hockey. Sure, he made a couple mistakes. Like any other defenseman in the NHL does.
"We'll live with his mistakes. We'll make sure he's trying to correct those mistakes when he makes them."
After missing practice yesterday, Pierre-Édouard Bellemare returned, looking no worse for the wear. The expected 22 were out there this afternoon.
Luca Sbisa, who has a lower body injury, will not be traveling with the team to Anaheim. There continues to be no new update on Marc-Andre Fleury.
Anyway, at yesterday's practice, I jinxed William Karlsson and learned more about the IKEA bed which he put together with roommate Oscar Dansk. I also told William Carrier how Theodore
insulted his Movember mustache.
(Theodore, Subban, Sbisa, William Carrier, and Alex Tuch are participating in Movember, an annual event which raises awareness for men's health issues. Find out more about Movember here.)
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William Karlsson
HockeyBuzz: Not to jinx you, but have you ever been on a goal-scoring streak like you are now? (HockeyBuzz note: Karlsson has scored five goals in the last four games.)
William Karlsson: Not really, no. I haven't scored that much in the NHL before.
Erik Haula: You just ruined it, man.
HB: Oh no! You heard that question too. Don't go in a slump, please, William.
WK: Exactly. (laughs)
HB: Of course, you were drafted by the Anaheim organization. What did you gain from them while you were there?
WK: I was there for a couple of summers. Then I finally came to North America. Played some games. They took care of me really well. I only have good things to say. Then I was traded, that was it.
HB: This is just my guess, but you came from the Columbus and Anaheim organizations, very structured team games, that sort of thing. And you've brought that style over here. Do you think being in those organizations influenced your game heavily? Or were you always a very responsible player?
WK: Of course, you pick up a few things along the way. You always learn. These past three years, I'm for sure a better player than I was when I first came here. Definitely taught me how to play over here in North America and adjust to the style here.
HB: Oscar Dansk told me you guys put together an IKEA bed a couple days ago. He's hurt. So did you do most of the work?
WK: Ironically, he did most of the work. (laughs)
HB: Because if I were him, I'd say my knee hurts, you do most of the heavy lifting.
WK: Yeah, I know, but he wasn't complaining.
HB: That's a good roommate.
WK: Very good. He helped out a lot. I appreciate it a lot. Made it more fun, for sure.
HB: You also just revealed that he must not be that hurt if he did most of the work there.
WK: (laughs) Exactly, right?
William Carrier
HockeyBuzz: How do you think your Movember mustache is coming along?
William Carrier: Pretty good. I think it's going pretty well.
HB: I have to say, Shea mentioned that he thought your mustache was the worst of the whole team. He said that it looked like it was drawn in with a marker. That's not me, that's what Shea said.
Dan D'Uva, Golden Knights radio play-by-play announcer: I was there, I did hear that.
HB: See, I have corroboration!
WC: Well, Shea may not be practicing tomorrow. (laughs) He can say whatever he wants...
HB: There he is now. (Theodore walks into the locker room)
WC: Is that what he said?
HB: That's what he said. Dan was right there. An official team employee.
DD: Not only that, you asked if you could quote him, and he said yes.
HB: So I'm not just stirring the pot.
WC: Wow. Well, I think he's just jealous. He's got a horrible one. Everybody keeps telling him. He's having a tough time now with his mustache.
HB: Who has the best one?
WC: I think I got the best one. Tucher's got a decent one. Theo's is a joke. Literally a joke. Doesn't really count. Me and Tucher are in the race right now.
HB: Shea's looking over right now. He knows what we're talking about.
WC: He definitely knows what's going on right now. He knows he's in trouble. He definitely knows he's in trouble.
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