Goaltending
Let's get one thing clear. Adin Hill (2.47 GAA, .906 save percentage, four shutouts) was great. He got the Vegas Golden Knights points in key situations, stealing games with his steady abilities. It's no wonder he got a six-year contract extension after silencing countless critics.
But fans are thankful he was healthy throughout the regular season because Ilya Samsonov was sporadic. The Russian netminder (2.82 GAA, .891 save percentage) had his shining moments in 2024-25. But Tuesday's performance proved one thing about Samsonov in that he tends to fall apart quickly.
B- is the grade the group gets. No, it isn't because of Hill. It's despite Hill, in fact. Expect Kelly McCrimmon to thoroughly inspect the backup goaltender market in the offseason and evaluate his options. But it's likely he goes with an in-house option, i.e., Akira Schmid, to back the Calgary native up.
Vegas Golden Knights overall grade
There are some things the Golden Knights can improve. However, they won the Pacific Division and got over 100 points. Again, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what happened in the other two instances of this happening. Buckle up, Las Vegas. This postseason will be fun to watch.