CHICAGO – Timing, in all things of life and including professional hockey, is everything. And the timing of the Vegas Golden Knights right now is impeccable.
The Golden Knights are playing their best hockey of the season as they turn down the stretch and it could be argued their current level is the highest in the NHL.
Vegas has won four straight and collected points in seven of its last eight games to climb to 94 points in the standings which is good for first in the Pacific Division and fourth overall in the NHL as of March 27.
Goaltender Adin Hill is hitting his stride going 8-1-1 in his last 10 starts with a 1.80 GAA and .935 save percentage.
Hill has allowed two goals or less in seven of the 10 starts, including two shutouts. In his eight wins during this stretch, Hill has allowed just nine goals.
Vegas has outscored its opponents 20-7 over the last four games as the offense has caught fire. Their 20 goals scored since March 20 are tied with the Kings for the most in the NHL.
The over-arching numbers are strong for the Golden Knights as they are fifth in the league in goal-differential at +56. Vegas is fourth in goals-for-per-game and sixth in goals-against-per-game. A torrid 8-for-16 run on the power play has taken an already excellent man-advantage record to No. 1 in the NHL at 30.1 percent. In all situations, Vegas is second in the NHL in shot differential and in expected goal differential.
More judicious puck management has led to a spike in team defense.
Last 40 games
Per game averages (NHL rank)
Shots against - 26.5 (1st)
Expected goals against - 2.53 (2nd)
Scoring Chances Against - 20.7 (5th)
High-Danger chances against - 12.0 (2nd)
Goals against - 2.42 (4th)
On the health side, Vegas has welcomed back defenseman Shea Theodore and center William Karlsson to balance the losses of Alex Pietrangelo and Tomas Hertl.
With an assist Tuesday night, Theodore is up to 49 points on the season and despite missing 15 games, he has an opportunity to top his career high of 52 points. Theodore’s 0.88 points/game is fifth in the NHL for defensemen.
Theodore is elite in walking the offensive blueline, transporting the puck up the ice and breaking the puck out of the defensive zone. His skating allows him break plays up in the neutral zone and he ranks ninth in the NHL in stick checks.
Karlsson has three assists in four games since returning from injury and is looking better and better with each game.
Vegas has a distinct competitive advantage when he’s on the ice:
+64 in shots
+36 in chances
+7 in HD chances
+3 in goals
Karlsson is tied for eighth in the NHL in FO% at 58.5%, 2nd in NHL in DZ FO% at 65.8% and 10th in SH FO% at 59.3%.
All teams battle injuries and how they are handled is a key factor in whether a club is successful. Vegas boasts eight NHL defensemen on its roster and the absence of first Theodore and now Pietrangelo has created an opportunity for Kaedan Korczak.
In the Golden Knights games since the 4Nations Face-Off, Korczak has been tremendous.
Since 4 Nations, Korczak at 5v5:
- +36 in chances (3rd on VGK)
- +25 in high danger (1st)
- +15 in shots (6th)
- +5 in goals (7th)
The Golden Knights have 11 games left in the regular season and need to keep piling up the points to hold off the charging LA Kings (9-1 in their last 10).
Winning the Pacific Division guarantees home ice in the first two rounds (Vegas is 27-7-3 at T-Mobile Arena) as well as earning a first-round matchup against a wild card team.
