(Tampa) The defending Stanley Cup champions, the Vegas Golden Knights, will be without goaltenders Adin Hill and Logan Thompson on Thursday night against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Thompson (10-5-3, 2.71 goals-against average) left Tuesday night’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes early in the third period with an upper-body injury.

Hill (10-2-2, 1.93 ERA) missed Nevada’s first seven games in December with a lower-body injury. He only played 6:25 in his return to action against the Ottawa Senators on December 17.

Jiri Patera made his second appearance in front of the Golden Knights net in relief of Thompson on Tuesday. Isaiah Saville was recalled from Henderson’s AHL affiliate.

“Our goalies don’t have any experience (in the NHL), so we’ll have to play well in front of them,” explained Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy. All teams in this league go through more difficult periods during the season. And this is what we are experiencing now. »

Patera is 3-0-0 with a 2.70 ERA in four career Bettman games. Saville has never taken part in an NHL game.

“I will only say this: we are probably the only team in the NHL that currently has an undefeated goalie duo,” Cassidy said, joking. That’s positive, right? »