How Vegas Became THE Goaltending Team
In the NHL, you need solid goaltending to win a Stanley Cup. That’s especially true if that goalie gets hot in the playoffs, where you can go a long way. For a franchise like the Golden Knights, having the likes of Marc-Andre Fleury and Adin Hill between the pipes has helped immensely.
It’s especially true since Hill’s hot hand helped Vegas win their first Stanley Cup last season. From his dramatic Game 1 save to his current domination, Adin Hill is continuing a tradition of strong Vegas goaltenders.
This has been going on since the franchise’s inception. Since Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas has earned a reputation as a friendly team for those between the pipes. Other teams have become jealous of their incredible success, with only a few rivaling the Golden Knights system. However, it hasn’t just been Bruce Cassidy introducing an incredible strategy.
So how did Vegas get this incredible distinction? What led to them being one of the toughest teams to score on? Let’s take a look at where it all started, going back to the NHL Expansion Draft.
If you asked any NHL pundit entering the 2017-2018 season about the Vegas Golden Knights, they would’ve told you the same thing: This team needs a few years to become a contender. They were a team of literal misfits that many thought wouldn’t contend immediately.
One notable name from the Expansion Draft was Marc-Andre Fleury, who came from Pittsburgh. The three-time Stanley Cup winner was a surprise, with the Penguins moving on to the younger Matt Murray. Hey, you gotta start somewhere and get a dominating goaltender, right?
That’s what the legendary “Flower” did. Aside from leading Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final in their first season (for non-hockey fans, yes, you read that right), he won his first Vezina trophy in Las Vegas (2021).
He was eventually traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in a rather controversial fashion. Fleury’s agent, Allan Walsh, found out about this until seeing it on social media. This drew the obvious angst of not only Golden Knights fans but the hockey community.
Still, the impact left by the former All-Star couldn’t be denied. He left a blueprint for Vegas to succeed, becoming a fan favorite in the process. Marc-Andre Fleury will forever live as a legend in the Golden Knights community, simply for putting in the work and establishing the norm.
Robin Lehner was supposed to be the heir apparent to Marc-Andre Fleury, coming in and becoming a stone wall. However, injuries and snake farming-related activities derailed his career. It got to the point where the Swedish goaltender pulled up a couch and rested on LTIR. Rumor has it he’s still there.
So who’d be the brave goaltender to come and save the day for Vegas? Who’d bring their goaltending skills to Sin City and reignite the hopes of the fans? Enter Logan Thompson.
In his rookie campaign (2022-2023), Thompson had a save percentage of .915 and two shutouts in 37 games. That earned him an All-Rookie second-team nomination and consideration for the Calder trophy. This was before injuries derailed his season, bringing in Hill.
But let’s continue to talk about Thompson because he’s gotten better. Aside from having a better save percentage (.919) and lower GAA (2.29 this season compared to 2.65 last season), his other stats tell the story.
Last season, his quality start percentage was a pedestrian .556, barely about the league average of .530. This season? Thompson sits at .714. The undrafted goaltender has shown he’s capable of being a valuable asset for the Golden Knights. But he’s not the only one doing his due diligence.
If you asked anybody if Vegas getting Hill for a year and $2.675 million would make a difference before the 2022-2023 season, you would’ve been laughed out of the room. However, the former Shark has proven his worth on the Golden Knights.
Aside from his incredible Game 1 save in last season’s Stanley Cup Finals, Adin Hill had an incredible playoff run for Vegas. After stepping in for Laurent Brossoit in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Calgary native slotted himself nicely, posting incredible stats. That included a save percentage of .932, a GAA of 2.17, and two shutouts.
He picked up where he left off this year, leading the NHL in GAA (1.87) and save percentage (.935) in 14 games as of Monday morning. His advanced stats tell a better story: He leads the NHL in GA % relative to the league average, becoming the King of the Hill with a relative GA % of 67.
The Stanley Cup Finals star has earned every penny of his new two-year, $9.8 million contract, making Vegas a threat. Overall, you can make the case that the Golden Knights have two top-ten goaltenders, making them the go-to place for goaltending.
While Adin Hill and Logan Thompson are the mainstays of Vegas goaltending, the Golden Knights have a deep pipeline of talent at the position. Jiri Patera is a name that comes up often and with good reason. Last season, he held his own on a terrible Henderson Silver Knights team, establishing himself as a potential starter.
However, there are other reliable players in the pipeline. Carl Lindbom is a perfect example, making a name for himself at the last World Juniors and in Sweden. There are also names like Isaiah Saville waiting in the wings.
It also helps to have a goalie-friendly coach in Bruce Cassidy. Cassidy’s coaching style allows goaltenders to breathe easier, with blocked shooting lanes and blocked shots. Since the start of last season, Vegas led the NHL in blocked shots with 2,032.
As for the wait, that might take a while. Both Adin Hill and Logan Thompson are both young (Hill is 27, while Thompson is 26). Still, this is further proof that the Golden Knights are the kings of goaltending. With a quality head coach and a defensive-minded team, even an aging Ilya Bryzgalov could thrive here.
(Stats provided by StatMuse.com and Hockey Reference)