The Vegas Golden Knights returned to the win column with a 6-3 victory over the Ottawa Senators Sunday night, but the club may have suffered injuries to multiple goaltenders in the process.
Surprisingly, it was Adin Hill who led the Golden Knights onto the ice for warmups before the game. Hill returned to practice earlier in the week but wasn’t expected to see game action until Vegas’ upcoming road trip. However, Sunday marked Hill’s return to the crease for the first time since Nov. 30, and his teammates gave him a 1-0 lead less than two minutes into his first game back.
But Hill only made it through the first 6:25 of the game after facing three shots.
The third shot came off the stick of Josh Norris, who collected a cross-ice pass from Tim Stützle. Hill was able to move laterally to be square to the shooter, who was gearing up for a one-timer from the right circle, but seemingly was unable to get down to the ice to turn aside the five-hole bid.
Instead, Norris had a hefty target beneath Hill’s pads and was able to find twine with relative ease.
That was the last shot Hill faced.
After the goal, Hill skated to the bench shaking his head. He stood hunched over as he talked to the training staff but then headed down the tunnel, slamming his stick along the way.
“It’s unfortunate,” head coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It’s difficult for Adin. He’s put the work in, he’s worked hard.”
As for the timeline surrounding Hill’s return, Cassidy explained that goalie coach Sean Burke wanted to see Hill make it through a few drills and be fully recovered the next day. Hill “checked those boxes” on Wednesday and had his first full practice on Thursday, at which point the decision was left to Hill and the medical staff.
“It’s their call, it’s not mine,” Cassidy said. “They tell me if he’s either cleared or he’s not cleared.”
But Cassidy didn’t want Hill to serve as backup Friday against Buffalo unless he was fully cleared and completely ready to go, so it became a matter of whether he’d start Sunday against Ottawa or Tuesday in Carolina. Ultimately, the Golden Knights elected to give him the start on home ice before a day of travel, a decision that was reached Saturday.
But less than seven minutes into that start, Hill’s movement was significantly inhibited, knocking him out of the game.
“Everyone thought he was ready to go,” Cassidy said. “Obviously it didn’t work out that way. It happens.”
Hill will be evaluated further Monday morning, but Cassidy is hopeful it won’t be long-term.
In the locker room, several players expressed frustration on Hill’s behalf.
“Really just disappointing for him,” captain Mark Stone said. “He worked really hard, and he’s always worked hard to get back. I’m sure he’ll be OK, and he’ll get right back to work tomorrow to try and get back in the lineup, so definitely not worried about him.”
Chandler Stephenson also referenced Hill’s recent efforts to return.
“Obviously he’s a huge part of our team, and he’s doing a lot of work to get back,” he said. “That’s obviously a tough one.”
Notwithstanding this potential setback — whether Hill re-aggravated his previous injury or tweaked something else — both Stone and Stephenson said that the team is in good hands with Logan Thompson, who stopped 20 of 22 shots Sunday in relief for his 10th win of the year.
However, there’s a chance Thompson could be out of commission as well.
Thompson, who had started six of the previous seven games, appeared to suffer a lower-body injury in the third period while making an awkward save. He was in obvious discomfort after the initial play and after subsequent stops, but he continued to gut it out.
Thompson later made his way to the bench to confer with the training staff. The Golden Knights could have been forced to turn to the emergency backup goalie, or EBUG, in the arena, but Thompson was able to finish the game. That could bode well for Vegas.
“I think he’s going to be just fine,” Cassidy said. “With our goaltender injuries here the last year and a half, I say that optimistically but realistically, too.”
The Golden Knights will travel east on Monday, giving Thompson a much-needed day of rest.
“Hopefully it’s nothing and he’s ready to go on Tuesday,” Cassidy said.
After re-assigning him Sunday, the Golden Knights are expected to recall Jiri Patera from the Henderson Silver Knights for the trip.
If both Hill and Thompson are unavailable, Vegas likely will recall Isaiah Saville, whom Cassidy highlighted during his post-game press conference. That would give Vegas an AHL tandem in net.
But none of this is new territory for Vegas.
The Golden Knights have had multiple bouts of widespread injuries to their goalie depth, including in the inaugural campaign, but last season’s goalie carousel was particularly taxing.
“Hopefully we don’t go through a run like last year,” Cassidy said, “but if we do, we’ll have to manage it.”
Despite the stream of injuries in 2022-23, Vegas relied on the “next man up” mentality and finished as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference with a franchise-best 111 points.
The Golden Knights became the first team in NHL history to record four consecutive wins with four different goalies. Between March 19 and March 25, the Golden Knights defeated Columbus, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton with Patera, Jonathan Quick, Thompson and Laurent Brossoit in net, respectively.
Also, a franchise-high five goalies started at least one game last season: Thompson (36), Hill (25), Brossoit (10), Quick (9) and Patera (2). Michael Hutchinson also suited up but did not see the ice before being traded to Columbus in the Quick deal.
The Golden Knights proceeded to win the Stanley Cup with two different goalies, as Brossoit started the first eight games before getting hurt in the Edmonton series, at which point Hill took over.
Hill finished the postseason with an 11-4 record as well as a 2.17 goals-against average and .932 save percentage. He became the first goalie in NHL history to win 10 playoff games without playing in the first round.
Over the summer, the Golden Knights rewarded him with a two-year, $9.8 million contract.
Including his two saves on three shots Sunday against the Senators, Hill is 10-2-2 with a 1.93 goals-against average, .933 save percentage and two shutouts this season.
Thompson is 10-4-3 with a 2.48 goals-against average and .911 save percentage, and Patera won his only start, an emotional 5-4 shootout win against San Jose earlier this month.
Vegas selected Saville in the fifth round (No. 135 overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft; he is 3-0-0 with Henderson this year, posting a 1.33 goals-against average and .950 save percentage.
The Golden Knights will be away from T-Mobile Arena for the next four games, with the first three landing before the Christmas break. They are set to face Carolina on Tuesday and Tampa Bay on Thursday before returning to Sunrise to take on the Panthers on Saturday. After the break, Vegas has a back-to-back against the Ducks (in Anaheim) and the Kings (in Las Vegas).
Regardless of the duo in net, the Golden Knights will need to play the way they did in the second period of Sunday’s matchup against Ottawa. Puck management, special teams and executing for the full 60 minutes will be key.
The Golden Knights are 21-6-5 and lead the league in points with 47 through 32 games.
(Photo of Thompson and Hill: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)