Just two games into the campaign, Slavin, who missed most of training camp, went down with a lower body injury. A week later, Gostisbehere suffered the same fate. The very next contest, Miller found himself sidelined.
There’s no replacing Slavin, but Reilly was ready when the opportunity presented itself. When Gostisbehere and Miller, the team’s two power play quarterbacks went down, it meant not only sizeable holes on special teams, but responsibilities left to be filled by first-year players.
Before the call-ups began, it meant an immediate increase in workload for Nikishin.
Although Rod Brind’Amour spent most of late September and early October reasoning how he wanted to ease the former KHL star into learning what was expected of him while he also continued his efforts of learning the English language, his hand was forced. Having success running the power play for SKA St. Petersburg in Russia, Nikishin’s opportunity was now.
And not just in that capacity, his game’s seemingly continued to flourish more each day.
In addition to scoring his first two NHL goals, Nikishin’s early-season highlight reel also includes heavy hits and goal-saving efforts.
“He’s been noticeable in a real positive way,” Brind’Amour said. “It’s not an easy position to walk into and then ask a kid to basically be playing top-four minutes right off the hop. That’s a ton to ask and he’s done a great job. He’ll just get better as he goes.”
Ironing out the details is a daily process for Brind’Amour, Nikishin, and Assistant Coach Tim Gleason, but all remain excited about the potential.
“There’s a lot to like, but I think he’s just getting by on raw talent versus the actual structural stuff that we have to shore up,” Brind’Amour said. “There’s still some things that are not great in a sense of, ‘Okay, you need to be here or there,’ or just reading the play. It’ll come and it is coming. It’s getting better and better the more we work with him.”