As we say goodbye to March, a rare phrase when it comes to the Vegas Golden Knights: A perfect road trip. Vegas pulled off that first for the season courtesy of a 3-1 win. It was thanks to a Reilly Smith game-winner (more on that a little later) nearly seven minutes into the third. Jack Eichel also scored to put his point streak to six games, and Brett Howden had his second empty net goal in as many games.
Like Chicago on Friday night, this wasn’t a work of art. But it was one with a happy ending that keeps Los Angeles out of view, at least for the first round. Here are my three takeaways on a sweet, Smash-free Blues riff of a night in Nashville.
Reilly Smith with the game winner, thanks to physics
Reilly Smith has been quiet yet steadily consistent, collecting four assists and a +7 since coming back to the Golden Knights almost three weeks ago. It’s only since the Detroit game last Saturday that he’s been close to lighting the lamp. Cue his first goal- a scrappy, messy effort befitting a scrappy and sometimes messy game as a whole.
With Victor Olofsson’s assist on the Eichel goal in the first, it caps off what’s been a banner couple of games for Smith and his linemates Olofsson and William Karlsson. Eight points (three goals, five assists) and a combined +7.
Adin Hill takes lemons, makes good lemonade in sixth straight win
🎥 Hill: It was fun. My body felt good, I felt sharp. pic.twitter.com/wRLk8D6V1r
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) March 30, 2025
Starting both parts of a back-to-back with maybe a few hours of rest scraped together in between, especially when you think you’re not starting the second one… That’s a tall order, regardless of the goalie! That was on Adin Hill’s plate Saturday, and he handled it well, given that he’d never done it before in Vegas.
Was there a sprinkle or two of luck there to help out? Definitely. Just look at how the puck plunked down in the perfect position for Smith to cash in. Or the clink of Luke Evangelista’s skate that disallowed what would’ve been Ryan O’Reilly’s second goal in the second. Still though, a valiant effort from Hill that (thanks to the Kings loss) pads the gap a bit more in the Pacific.
Ilya Samsonov a late scratch, big problem?
Right up to within seconds of the opening faceoff, it looked like Samsonov was set to start and try to build off the positive mojo from his last start Sunday against Tampa Bay. Suddenly, Adin Hill is the one in net and the obvious question with any weird, inexplicable scratches: What happened? As of this writing, there‘s no real answer to explain why he was on the bench for the first period, and gone at the intermission. Tomorrow should hopefully alleviate the confusion…emphasis on “hopefully.”
As easy as it’d be to just ride Hill every game the rest of the way given all how he played Saturday, that way in recent NHL history doesn’t end well for whoever tries it. On the plus side, if he’s gone a good while, this would be a great time to call up Carl Lindbom who’s been playing pretty well in Henderson (16-12-1, 2.62 GAA, and a .914 save percentage).
Next on the Marquee:
It's a welcome return home to start the month of April on Tuesday night at 7 P.M. against the Edmonton Oilers. Leon Draisaitl will be back for the always chippy, always fun showdown. It's one that hopefully doesn’t end like the last time Vegas played Edmonton in mid-December. On the plus side, Connor McDavid doesn’t look like he will be in the lineup. That's especially true if Tomas Hertl returns to the lineup. Also, if the Calvin Pickard from Thursday night in Seattle shows up, all the better. Until then…