The Vegas Golden Knights opened their first home preseason game Thursday night with a wild one, and the biggest takeaway from the 5-4 overtime win over the Utah Mammoth wasn’t the comeback or even the late-game heroics. It was the uneasy feeling that followed Adin Hill around all night.
Vegas erased a 3-1 deficit and stunned Utah in overtime at The Fortress, giving fans plenty to talk about. The stars came through when it mattered, and some younger players helped their case for a spot on the opening-night roster. But Hill’s performance loomed over the whole thing.
He has the distinction of being the only goalie to lead the Golden Knights to a Stanley Cup title, and that helped earn him a contract extension and a longer runway when things go sideways. Still, last season was rough.
Hill played 27 games and finished 10-9-6 with career-worst numbers in goals-against average and save percentage. The slide got bad enough that after his final appearance on April 9, he didn’t see the ice again, losing the job to Carter Hart, who then helped guide the team to the Stanley Cup Final.
Against Utah, Hill never looked settled. He seemed to be sliding around the crease, trying to get into position after the fact or simply hoping the puck would miss the net.
Vegas had already taken a 1-0 lead when he surrendered back-to-back goals to close the first period. He ended that frame with an .846 SV%, then allowed another goal in the middle period while stopping just three of the other shots he faced for a .750 SV%.
The third period didn’t clean things up much. Hill gave up the go-ahead goal with 1:31 left, on the fourth shot of the period.
He finished his second preseason outing with an .810 SV%, which is not what anyone wants to see from a goalie projected as a starter or even a 1B on a contender. Last season, in 27 appearances, he managed to finish only nine games with a save percentage above .900.
The Golden Knights also have to sort out the depth behind Hart. Last season, they ended up using four goalies because of injuries, with Carl Lindblom and Akira Schmid both getting into games while Hill and Hart tried to stabilize things.
Schmid is gone now, and Lindblom was on the bench against Utah as Hill’s backup. Lindblom is expected to play with the Silver Knights, but the broader issue remains: Hill has only topped 30 games twice in his career, and last season he played just 27.
For a team that is in “Cup-or-bust” mode heading into the 2026-27 season, goaltending has to be rock solid. Hart showed in the playoffs that he can carry the load, but he also showed the value of getting a night off now and then.
Right now, the crease belongs to Hart until someone takes it away. Hill has to prove he can be dependable enough to earn more starts, and with five seasons left on his deal, this extension is already off to a shaky start.
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