There’s an accurate expression which gets circulated in the goaltending world: “Goalies are judged for the goals they don’t stop, not the ones they do stop.”
Someone looking at the final game sheet from Friday’s 5-2 loss to the New Jersey Devils might conclude that Vegas Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill had a rough outing. They would be wrong. Very wrong.
Hill was the best player on the ice for the Golden Knights and gave his team an opportunity to find its game and claw out a win. That never happened, and Vegas fell to 9-5-1 suffering a third loss over the last four games.
But Hill wasn’t the problem. On this day, his teammates couldn’t find the solution.
The second period saw New Jersey pile up as many as 12 high-danger scoring chances, depending on what data service one prefers. Two of those chances got past Hill but both goals came as a result of turnovers and defensive breakdowns in front of the goalie.
File this under silver linings, but the uneven stretch the Golden Knights are currently slogging through has revealed a positive in the form of Hill’s goaltending. Hill had one of his best games of the season in a 4-1 win over the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday and was similarly stalwart in Friday’s loss to the Devils.
Last season was difficult for Hill and one he looks to have put behind him judging by his play so far this season. With a record of 5-2 through seven starts, Hill has given his team the play they need from him. His goals-against average of 2.84 and save percentage of .891 have been victim of two games with four goals against or more but those are outliers as he has held the opposition to two goals or less in four of his starts.
The solution: The Golden Knights aren’t playing their best hockey right now. That’s the negative. The positive is that the solution is right there for them to grasp.
This is a talented team. They know it. And sometimes they get stubborn with the puck. Instead of taking what is given to them by the opposition, they try to force things. The players know it and recognize it. Only they can fix it, and they will.
It’s a fine line. The best teams aren’t robots that just dump the puck into the corner every time they cross the redline. That doesn’t work either. Coaching the skill and creativity out of a team is a mistake just like refusing to apply puck management to the game.
In the long run, a team wants an offensive mix. To be able to score in different ways, to have the ability to score off the forecheck and the rush. Having the right balance leads to success.
Now, not every team can do it both ways, but the Golden Knights can. What they are going through right now won’t last. It can’t last. This team is too talented, too smart, too experienced and too invested in winning.
