Vegas Golden Knights forward Jonathan Marchessault returned to practice Friday and has not been ruled out for Saturday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, head coach Gerard Gallant said.
Marchessault wore the red non-contact jersey Friday. It’s the first time Marchessault has been seen since he was placed on injured reserve due to an undisclosed lower-body injury suffered Oct. 13 against the Detroit Red Wings.
Vegas prospect Alex Tuch was called up from AHL Chicago in his place and has scored two goals in his first two Golden Knights games.
“(Marchessault) is just coming back and trying to get ready for tomorrow,” Gallant said. “I don’t know if he’s going to play tomorrow yet or not. We’ll see again tomorrow morning.”
Along with Marchessault, Vegas forward Erik Haula is expected to return to skating Saturday after sustaining a lower-body injury against Detroit, according to Gallant. There is still no timetable on goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, who is recovering from a concussion.
Marchessault scored his first goal as a Golden Knight against Detroit. If Marchessault is a go Saturday, that complicates Vegas’ lineup a bit in relation to Tuch and center Vadim Shipachyov. Based on Tuch’s performance the last two games, Shipachyov could be the odd man out. That would produce a weird batch of pickles, wouldn’t it?