The Vegas Golden Knights aren’t exactly humming on all cylinders right now, but they’re still finding a way to stack points.
That’s the story of this stretch: the five-on-five offense has cooled off, yet the goaltending and special teams have kept Vegas afloat. The Golden Knights have earned points in four of their last five games and have picked up three of a possible four so far on this four-game road trip.
The trip started with a comeback in Boston on Monday, when Vegas erased a 2-0 deficit and grabbed a shootout point against the Bruins. A night later in Pittsburgh, the Knights again had to chase the game, falling behind 2-1 before scoring a power-play goal in the final minute of regulation to beat the Penguins 3-2.
Carter Hart was sharp against Boston, stopping 25 of 27 shots. Adin Hill delivered the response in Pittsburgh, turning away 23 of 25. Between the two games, three of Vegas’ five goals on the trip have come with the man advantage, and the penalty kill was perfect against the Penguins, going 6-for-6.
That kind of support matters when the offense at even strength isn’t carrying its usual weight. Vegas has allowed two goals or fewer in 11 of 17 games, and it took until Dec. 7 last season to reach that mark. The club sits sixth in the NHL in goals against per game at 2.82, and its team save percentage over the last five games is .908, good for seventh.
The penalty kill has been especially sturdy lately, going 11-for-12 over the last three games for a 91.7 percent clip. The only damage came on a five-minute major.
Hill was especially important late against Pittsburgh, surviving more than a minute and 22 seconds of a two-man disadvantage in a tied game. Once Vegas escaped that pressure, Mark Stone set up Tomas Hertl with a perfect pass through the slot, and Hertl finished for the power-play winner.
The power play has been doing its part too. Vegas is 5-for-10 over its last four games, a 50.0 percent run, and the season number has climbed to 29.4 percent, which ranks sixth in the league.
At 10-5-2 for 22 points, the Golden Knights are still sitting second in the Pacific Division, even with the five-on-five scoring drought. The feeling around the team is that the goals at even strength will come back eventually.
The effort, preparation and urgency are still there. Cold streaks happen, and sometimes they hit more than one player at once.
Until that turns, Vegas is leaning on the parts of its game that are working. It’s not the cleanest way to get through a stretch, but it’s keeping them in the race and out of trouble.
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