Just a little over a week ago, the Brock Faber, Matthew Knies and Jackson LaCombe trio were inside a stunned Gophers locker room at Amalie Arena. You could hear a pin drop after a crushing 3-2 defeat to Quinnipiac just 10 seconds into overtime in the NCAA National Championship on April 8.
Now, they’re clean-shaven and have swiftly shaken off the heartbreak rust, entering the next chapters of their lives in the National Hockey League (NHL).
It was a busy week for the rookies. In their NHL debuts Faber played with the Minnesota Wild against the Chicago Blackhawks on April 10, Knies skated for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Florida Panthers on April 10 and LaCombe took the ice for the Anaheim Ducks against Vancouver on Tuesday.
“We’ve been texting a bunch,” Faber said following the Minnesota Wild’s 3-1 loss to Winnipeg last Tuesday, which he was a healthy scratch for. “Comber is making his debut tonight and Kniesy got an assist, which was nearly a goal. So yeah, I’ve been talking to them and the boys back home a bunch, obviously going to miss them but thankfully I’m pretty close to home, so I’ll see them plenty.”
Faber and Knies will likely join the Wild’s and Maple Leafs’ playoff rosters with the Stanley Cup Playoffs beginning Monday night.
The Wild will travel to Dallas to play the Stars in the first of a seven-game series at 8:30 p.m. CST on Monday, televised on ESPN2.
Toronto will return home after a long road trip to host the Tampa Bay Lightning with Game 1’s puck drop at 6:30 p.m. CST on Tuesday, televised on ESPN.
Here are some statistics for the former Gophers from their first week of NHL action.
D Faber (MIN): GP: 2, SOG: 1, BS: 9, +/-: 2, TOI/G: 20:04
Had a fantastic debut in a 4-2 comeback victory over the Blackhawks. Faber led the Wild with an on-ice expected goals share of 73.84% and was the only Minnesota player to not allow a “high-danger” scoring chance against Chicago.
“It’s weird, I’m still living at home with my college roommates, so I’m kind of getting the best of both worlds right now,” Faber said Saturday. “It’s been a quick five days, but it’s felt like a lot longer than that, so it’s definitely a dream come true to be here.”
LW Knies (TOR): GP: 3, A: 1, SOG: 4, BS: 2, +/-: 1, TOI/G: 13:06
The only former Gopher to score his first professional point, as his near goal was tapped in by Ryan O’Reilly playing Tampa Bay. That was Knies’ best performance of the week, tying the team high for shots generated by Toronto (8) and was first in providing scoring chances for the Maple Leafs (11) in his second NHL game. He was also stout on the defensive end playing against the New York Rangers, finishing the game at Madison Square Garden tied for first in expected goals against (0.16 xGA). The Leafs are 3-0 since Knies joined the team.
“It makes me feel like way more part of the family,” Knies said Saturday about being offered a place to stay from NHL star John Tavares during Toronto’s playoff push. “Everyone’s been so welcoming the past few days. It’s easy to jump in and try to make an impact.”
D LaCombe (ANA): GP 2: SOG: 1, BS: 9, +/-: -1, TOI/G: 18:28
Skated a very promising offensive debut from the blue line against the Canucks. Led the Ducks with 1.12 expected goals while on the ice against Vancouver. Totalled 6 blocked shots in his second game against the Los Angeles Kings. LaCombe was the only player to suit up inside his home arena during the last stretch of the regular season, playing both of his games at the Honda Center.
“It was pretty special, for sure,” LaCombe said after his debut against Vancouver last Tuesday. “I think being able to play in my first game there was awesome. The guys were great about it the whole time.”
