RALEIGH, N.C. — For the first time since opening night, the Vegas Golden Knights will have a fully healthy lineup.
Defenseman Jeremy Lauzon is returning to the lineup for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes at Lenovo Center on Tuesday after missing the past month with an upper-body injury.
Lauzon has not played since the clinching Game 6 of the first round against the Utah Mammoth on May 1. He had to watch his teammates knock out the Anaheim Ducks in the second round, followed by a sweep of the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Final.
“Probably the most anxious I’ve been watching games, that’s for sure,” Lauzon said. “But I never had a doubt that the guys were going to pull through.”
Lauzon, 29, is expected to draw back in for Kaedan Korczak, who was a plus-3 and had two assists in the last two games against Colorado.
But Dylan Coghlan has a stranglehold on a starting spot at the moment since making his postseason debut in the second round. Coghlan has three points and is a plus-8 in the eight playoff games.
“The second he got the opportunity to play, he’s been playing amazing hockey,” Lauzon said of Coghlan. “He’s a great skater. He’s a great puck mover. Loves to jump offensively. I think it pairs perfectly with my style of play.
“I think I’m going to be able to create some space for him defensively, closing hard. I’m excited to have the opportunity to get going with him.”
The Knights didn’t miss Lauzon’s physical presence, but they’ll certainly welcome it back.
Lauzon is one of the Knights’ heavy hitters and will be one to jump into scuffles with the opposition. That’s the kind of player the Knights could use against a Carolina team that plays a similar brand of hockey to the Knights.
Lauzon had 14 hits and eight blocked shots against Utah while playing 16:33 a game.
“Jeremy brings a lot of physicality and energy to our team,” defenseman Noah Hanifin said. “I think playing a team like Carolina, it’s really important for us. He’s a warrior. A trooper. He battled hard when he was out, and we’re all excited to have him back.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
