The Vegas Golden Knights opened the preseason with a 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Kings in the Empire Classic on Saturday in Ontario, C.A., and the first thing worth saying is that it looked like a preseason opener. The game had stretches of sloppy hockey: passes missed their marks, pucks were fumbled, and the flow broke up more than once.
Even so, Vegas showed a clear structure. The penalty kill was sharp, and the team held up well in its own zone, keeping the Kings from building much sustained pressure.
The best part of the night for Vegas was probably the work in goal from Adin Hill. It was his first start since April 9th, and the opening stretch had to feel strange, especially with Los Angeles taking 15 minutes to get its third shot on net. He wasn’t overwhelmed, and that mattered in a game where the Golden Knights didn’t need anything flashy from him.
Not everything was as clean, though. Hill was fine, but he didn’t quite deliver the kind of performance that would make you sit up and take notice.
The Kings also iced only three veteran NHL players - Trevor Moore, Scott Laughton, and Anton Forsberg - with the rest of the roster filled out by younger players trying to win jobs, so there’s not much reason to overstate what happened here. Still, after the buzz he created at last year’s training camp, it would have been nice to see a little more.
The main reason to make the drive out to Ontario was Trevor Connelly’s first preseason game, and he didn’t disappear. The organization thinks highly of him, and he showed why with a quietly strong night. He created offense, got a couple of quality looks, and drew a penalty.
Even so, Jackson Hallum was the player who really separated himself. His speed has been hard to miss all camp, but there’s a difference between standing out in drills and doing it against another team.
On Saturday, he did it again. Hallum used that speed to generate offense, and it ultimately led to the game-winning goal in the third period.
“I just try to play the best I can with whatever opportunity I’m given,” said Hallum postgame. “I can’t look at the future; I’ve just got to be where my feet are and make the most of what I’m given.”
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Mark Stone News Just Changed Vegas Camp's Biggest Roster Questions
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The bigger question now shifts to the rest of the roster battles, where every practice and exhibition look carries extra weight. Prospect Juho Piiparinen also got a special invitation to camp as he continues his development, a reminder that Vegas is still balancing present-day decisions with longer-term planning while the competition for places begins in earnest. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Got A Telling Prospect Answer In Saturdays Win
Adin Hill gave the Golden Knights a useful preseason look Saturday, turning aside 17 of 19 shots in a 4-2 win over the Kings. In a game that also featured several younger players trying to make their case, Jackson Hallum and Viliam Kmec supplied key goals, giving Vegas a little more to think about as camp continues.
Trevor Connelly also stayed active with three shots on goal, even if the scoresheet did not follow. For a team that is always balancing immediate NHL readiness with long-term prospect development, these sorts of nights matter because they hint at who is pushing, who is settling in, and which names are starting to separate themselves in the early stages of the preseason. [Read more 🡒]