Let's cut right to the chase, shall we? The Vegas Golden Knights have had one of the most bizarre seasons known to mankind. That consisted of a head coach being fired, along with the team having more losses than wins for the first time in franchise history (!).
Yep, you read that right. The Golden Knights finished with 39 wins this season, yet they're going to the Stanley Cup playoffs. How crazy life can be for the boys in gold, eh?
Heck, you can even say that the Golden Knights' first round opponent, the Utah Mammoth, is an anomaly. Consisting mainly of former Arizona Coyotes players, the new-ish organization is making the playoffs under a new banner. In turn, it's brought hockey fans in the Beehive State to a crescendo, bringing them to the Delta Center for some cold games.
But let's look at the Golden Knights' side of things for a second. Three stats are like the Golden Knights' opponent for the first round: they're an anomaly. They have leaders that many people wouldn't expect to lead or were expecting someone else to lead. Here are those three stats and why they stick out bizarrely.
1.) GAA: Akira Schmid
The surprising part about this stat isn't Akira Schmid (2.59) leading the category as much as it is Adin Hill not leading the category. Hill had a GAA of 3.04, marking a monumental collapse since he signed a six-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Not only that, but the advanced statistics tell a grimmer story of Hill's collapse. This season, Hill has a Goals Saved Above Expected of -14.2, sixth-worst in the NHL. As for Schmid? -1.0. It's the equivalent of Luigi winning by doing absolutely nothing.
2.) FO% (minimum 90 faceoffs): Tomas Hertl
This isn't any disrespect to Hertl, for he's good at faceoffs. Just look at this year's percentage, where he won 57.8% of his faceoffs. But there are other noteworthy names like William Karlsson (57.6%) and Colton Sissons (56.5%) that could've been winners in this category.
Of course, Karlsson missed a good chunk of the season with a lower-body injury. However, seeing Hertl step up has been pleasant for the Golden Knights, whether it's on the power play or closing games out. If that continues into the postseason, the Golden Knights can get a key recruit for the Stanley Cup run.
3.) Shots on Goal: Jack Eichel
People blast Jack Eichel for not shooting the puck enough. They will point to factors such as the gold medalist only having one power play goal this season. However, it's not like Eichel isn't trying.
In fact, he had a team-leading 260 shots on goal this season. That's more than Pavel Dorofeyev (230), Tomas Hertl (202), and Mitch Marner (165). Remember this when you yell at the franchise face to shoot the puck. That's literally his job and he does whatever it takes to help his team win games.
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