One important stat shows the Golden Knights defense is turning around

All year, the blue line has been hit-or-miss for the Vegas Golden Knights. They've seen players like Alex Pietrangelo and Noah Hanifin struggle in front of the net. Heck, even their breakouts from their defensive zone were subpar, leaving fans to look for another beer in the fridge.

The only problem is that players like Noah Hanifin have struggled all year. Granted, fans shouldn't expect the Boston native to contribute much defensively. But six goals and 16 assists isn't helping his case, either. In short, the blue line has led some fans to ponder getting more beer from Smith's to make the problem go away (PLEASE don't do that, by the way). It also led to some deep questions.

"Should Kelly McCrimmon make a move for a goaltender?"

"Do we need a pure defenseman?"

But there seems to be some hope on the horizon for Vegas. The team has allowed 29 combined shots in the last two games, indicating the unit's finally turning things around. On to of that, the team has 74 combined shots in those past two games. What should you make of that, dear reader?

Well, the first thing is the team is getting more aggressive offensively. Sure, they struggled to do anything against Ilya Sorokin on Tuesday. However, Thursday's game against the New Jersey Devils was a different tune, starting with Nicolas Roy's goal. The center nearly took off for a breakaway before going five-hole on his own rebound past Jake Allen.

How the Vegas Golden Knights defense is turning it around

But how did Roy get that goal against the Devils, you ask? It starts with breaking out and heading into transition. The forward blazes past numerous Devils, leaving him on a one-on-one. But that goes back to being better on defense, which sets up the scoring opportunity for the Vegas Golden Knights.

Mind you, the team's not doing this by blocking shots alone. In fact, the Golden Knights only had seven blocked shots that entire game. Instead, they forechecked better and got five takeaways. That brand of hockey hasn't been seen as much in 2024-25, where Vegas has resorted to becoming a rush team.

It's also taking away the neutral zone and limiting your opponent on what they can do. That was also on full display against the Devils, where Vegas did everything they could to prevent New Jersey from advancing further. That meant clogging passing lanes and giving the Devils as many bad looks as possible.

Constricting your opponents translates into more impact on the game

Look at this scorecard from Thursday's victory over the Devils for a second. What's the first thing you notice?

You'll notice three defensemen occupy the top four spots on the impactcard against New Jersey. Those honors go to Shea Theodore, Brayden McNabb, and Noah Hanifin. Hanifin isn't known for being the best defensive player individually. However, he contributed defensively with a blocked shot and takeaway.

Theodore contributed in his own way, scoring the game's second goal. However, that doesn't discredit his overall efforts, either. Alex Pietrangelo has lauded his blue line efforts and how he's improved as a player.

"He's done everything. He's defended probably this year better than he ever has... he's willing to kind of take things into his own hands more than I've ever seen."

Alex Pietrangelo on Shea Theodore

That type of play will propel the Golden Knights back to their winning ways. It can also kickstart a team in other aspects, That can range from the transition game to the offensive game overall. Regardless, players like Theodore and Hanifin getting work done defensively always leads to great things, including deep Stanley Cup runs. Hold off on the beer until it's an emergency.