Golden Knights Jonas Rondbjerg To Be Replaced In The Lineup Despite Solid Performance Against The Stars
Jonas Rondbjerg was impressive in the Vegas Golden Knights' 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars but will be replaced in the lineup tonight.
Jonas Rondbjerg was impressive in the Vegas Golden Knights' 4-3 loss to the Dallas Stars but will be replaced in the lineup tonight.
It hasn't been as smooth sailing as Rondbjerg and the Golden Knights would have hoped for when they drafted him in the third round (65th overall) in the 2017 NHL draft. He's played 72 career games in the NHL, scoring three goals and 10 points.
Even though the scoring numbers haven't been there, the Golden Knights were hoping other parts of his game would round out and open up a role for him in the bottom six. Unfortunately, up until now, he hasn't been able to piece it together but showed glimpses of what he could provide in Tuesday's 4-3 overtime loss to the Stars.
In 10:39 of ice time, the 26-year-old finished with two shots on goal and a block but the Golden Knights outplayed the Stars when he was on the ice. They were outscored 1-0 but had more high-danger chances (3-1), higher Corsi for (17-6), higher expected goals percentage (63.08%) and more scoring chances (9-3).
"I'm trying to play north. A hard, heavy, fast game," said Rondbjerg. "Trying to be stronger on pucks and make plays and be a little more offensive."
In what was likely one of the strongest performances in his NHL career, HC Bruce Cassidy has elected to remove Rondbjerg from the lineup in place of Cal Burke. Burke showed flashes during his six-game stint with the Golden Knights and had a run on Jack Eichel's wing.
Burke won't play with Eichel this time around but will be on a line with Tanner Pearson and Brett Howden. Raphael Lavoie, who was on a line with Rondbjerg has been moved up to the third line with Keegan Kolesar and Nicolas Roy.
The Golden Knights host the Columbus Blue Jackets in their final home game before a four-game Eastern Conference road trip prior to the 4 Nations Face-Off.
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