Almost all of the Vegas Golden Knights goaltenders were outstanding when called upon in the first half.
Well, the first half of the Vegas Golden Knights inaugural campaign is in the books. The team went 29-10-2 with 60 points in 41 games played, good enough for first in the Western Conference. Even the biggest Golden Knights optimist didn’t expect these kinds of results from their favorite hockey club.
One of the biggest reasons they’re one of the best teams in the NHL is their goaltending depth. In fact, three of their top four goaltenders went down due to injury. Goaltending coach Dave Prior has done an outstanding job with all of the Vegas goalies. He prepared them for the big stage at the NHL level, and he’s doing wonders with them skill-wise.
As we hit the halfway point in the 2017-18 regular season, I will grade each Golden Knights player accordingly. Here’s how I’ll grade: Player performance, expectations coming into the season and the role the player serves. So without further ado, here are my grades for the netminders of the Vegas Golden Knights. Dylan Ferguson gets an incomplete as a grade due to only playing nine minutes.
Maxime Lagace
If you told me before the season began that Maxime Lagace would start the most games in a Vegas Golden Knights uniform, I would say we would be in last place in the west. But as a matter of fact, the Knights were just okay when he took the crease when Fleury, Subban and Dansk all went out with injuries.
In 14 games played, his record stands at 6-6-1 with a 3.79 GAA and a save percentage of .872%. Let’s take the GAA and save percentage out of the equation and focus on the record. If you’re giving the team .500 hockey back to the number four starter on the depth chart, you’re doing the job.
His numbers aren’t flashy by any stretch of the imagination, but he most certainly did the stood his ground while he was here. The team rallied around him, and he had a bunch of success in his first-ever NHL stint. The grade I’m about to give him may feel a little slanted, but without him, the Knights would’ve been in a whole world of trouble.
Grade: B-