Shea Theodore to miss Thursday’s road matchup vs. Sharks

The Vegas Golden Knights will be without Shea Theodore for at least one game, as the talented defenseman is dealing with an undisclosed injury. and will miss Thursday’s game against the San Jose Sharks.

The team revealed on Wednesday afternoon that Theodore did not travel with the team to San Jose. As of now, he is listed as day-to-day, so there is a chance he is able to get back in the lineup Saturday night against the Minnesota Wild.

The hope is that this is indeed just a one game absence, as the Golden Knights can’t afford to lose Theodore for any significant amount of time. Not only has he put up a rock solid eight goals and 41 points in 54 outings this season, but his average of 21:31 minutes per game is second on the team to only Alex Pietrangelo, proving just how valuable he is.

In a corresponding move, it was announced that Brayden Pachal has been recalled from the Henderson Silver Knights of the American Hockey League. The 23-year-old defenseman suited up for nine games with the Golden Knights earlier in the season, registering two assists during that time.

Had the standings looked the way they did just a week’s time ago, losing Shea Theodore for a game against the Sharks may have not been a big deal, as the Golden Knights held a fairly comfortable lead in the Pacific Division over the L.A. Kings and Edmonton Oilers. That lead has quickly evaporated, however, as the Kings trail them by just two points while the Oilers are just three back. What looked to be a sure division title recently now has the makings of a dog fight right down to the wire.