Did you know that the Vegas Golden Knights have points in their last six games (4-0-2)? They've done a fantastic job of remaining competitive and piling up points when needed. Imagine if this team could put out a competent shootout lineup.
One can point to solid goaltending as a reason for the Golden Knights' recent success. Carter Hart and Adin Hill have stolen points for Vegas, giving them extra juice in offensively dry games. After all, you're as good as your next netminder.
But it goes beyond that. The third line has been excellent in its own right. The Golden Knights have seen wingers like Ivan Barbashev and Trevor Connelly explode, leading to more Golden Knights victories. I mean, who could forget this Barbashev beauty?
Looking deeper reveals two catalysts for this sudden surge. One has been a massive (literally) presence in the offensive scheme. The other has been on fire since he returned from an undisclosed injury against the Seattle Kraken. Meet the two players responsible for the third line's surge.
The third line has been anchored by two names: Tomas Hertl and Victor Olofsson
People will automatically look and assume that the line of Ivan Barbshev, Tomas Hertl, and Victor Olofsson is perfect when all three are working in conjunction. However, two players work better with each other on the same line. Those players happen to be Hertl and Olofsson.
A closer look at advanced statistics reveals that the duo occupies two spots in the Golden Knights' Top Five in xGoals % (stats courtesy of MoneyPuck, minimum of 19 minutes). One of those lines features Barbashev, yet the other has Trevor Connelly.
Line | xGoals% | xGoals For Per 60 Minutes |
|---|---|---|
Connelly-Hertl-Olofsson | 70.3% (3rd) | 4.5 (1st) |
Barbashev-Hertl-Olofsson | 64.5% (4th) | 3.98 (4th) |
One thing stands out with this chart: Olofsson and Hertl are creating solid scoring opportunities for any Golden Knight on their line. It doesn't matter if it's Barbashev or Connelly on the opposite wing. Vegas is reaping the rewards of having an underrated sniper and a big body in front of the net.
It does other things for Vegas, including having Barbashev crash the net more and Connelly become a more confident shooter. Imagine the damage that these two can do with competent shooters.
Who else could stand to benefit from partnering with Olofsson and Hertl?
Brett Howden's name comes to mind. Although the forward has done decent work with William Karlsson and Mitch Marner this season, he has only scored one goal in November and in his past nine games.
That can change if given the chance to join Olofsson and Hertl on the third line. Yes, Connelly should thrive with his ol' linemates after being experimented with on the top unit. But why not give that same bump to a struggling forward?
Either way, the Golden Knights are in a good position with Olofsson and Hertl anchoring the third line. I've mentioned this numerous times on here, but it helps to have multiple scoring options on one line. That opens up more opportunities for an additional forward to do damage.
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