Goalie Hill makes one goal count in Knights' win over Oilers

Danny Webster, Las Vegas Review-Journal on Dec 4, 2024

Published in Hockey

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There were no penalties. Not many scrums to report. Only one goal was scored, and it wasn’t even a shot attempt.

All of that equaled to it being the best defensive performance of the season for the Golden Knights.

Goaltender Adin Hill made 28 saves for his second shutout of the season, and the Knights clamped down on the Edmonton Oilers for a 1-0 victory Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena.

Left wing Ivan Barbashev scored the lone goal for his team-leading 13th of the season, and the Knights (16-7-3) kept Edmonton’s duo of captain Connor McDavid and center Leon Draisaitl off the score sheet for the second time this season.

The Knights held the two superstars point-less in the 4-2 win Nov. 6 in Edmonton.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said that despite the Oilers’ offense finding its groove, they’re still dangerous in transition and creating chances off turnovers.

That must have been the emphasis going into Tuesday, because the Knights hardly allowed anything dangerous from Edmonton.

The Knights were ready each time McDavid or Draisaitl entered through the neutral zone. Edmonton’s two superstars were held to a combined one shot attempt through 40 minutes. That shot was a McDavid attempt that was blocked.

McDavid didn’t register his first shot on goal until three minutes into the third period, which was saved by Hill. McDavid and Draisaitl combined for six attempts in the third period, a frame in which they outshot the Knights 16-2.

The Knights had 16 shots for the entire game, with Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner stopping 15.

“I didn’t think we gave up much defensively, and when we did, Hillsy was there to make a big save,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “That’s what he gets paid to do, and it’s fun to watch.”

The lone one to get through didn’t look like a shot. Barbashev and Eichel had a two-on-one off a turnover, and his pass to Eichel went through Skinner’s five-hole for the 1-0 lead at 10:47 of the first.

Barbashev said he tried to pass the puck twice in that sequence. He ended up passing it to the back of the net.

It was the Knights’ best defensive performance of the season to date. Even in the few times they mismanaged the puck — which cost them against Utah on Saturday in a 6-0 loss — they recovered structurally to not allow anything dangerous in the middle of the ice.

The Oilers weren’t slouches in their own end, either. The Knights, outside of the two-on-one that led to Barbashev’s goal, didn’t have much room to work with. Two of their most dangerous chances came from left wing Tomas Hertl. One shot rang off the left post in the first period, then he had a backhand attempt in close robbed by Skinner.

The Knights were quick to flush Saturday given that it was the second leg of a back-to-back fresh off a five-game road trip. They were able to reset after their first practice in two weeks, while also preparing for another stretch of three games in four days this week.

They locked down Edmonton, and Hill made key saves in the third period to preserve a win that might be more impressive than beating NHL-leading Winnipeg off one day rest on Friday.

Here are three takeaways from the win:

1. Stone on the horizon

The Knights could soon be getting their captain back, with Mark Stone shedding his noncontact sweater at morning skate on Tuesday.

Cassidy said Stone is clear for contact, but given the schedule, there won’t be enough practice time to see how he adjusts to taking contact. Stone hasn’t played since that Nov. 6 game in Edmonton.

He may not be ready to go for Wednesday in Anaheim, but the fact the Knights are 7-4-2 without Stone in the lineup builds promise for what’s to come when he does return.

2. 4 Nations preview

The 4 Nations Face-Off rosters will be unveiled Wednesday. The game served as a preview of what’s to come when Canada faces the United States.

Knights center Jack Eichel and McDavid, the first two picks in the 2015 draft, put on a show despite neither registering a point. Their lines matched up for most of the night, with Eichel getting the upper hand through two periods.

The two will face each other again on a world’s stage in February. If Wednesday was any indication, the matchup will be a sight to behold.

3. No rest for the weary

The Knights just wrapped up a back-to-back this past weekend and will now have to go through another one Wednesday against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center.

The Knights took the first two meetings against their division foes, the latest being on the annual fathers’ trip in a 3-2 win in Anaheim.

Ilya Samsonov will likely return to the crease to avenge Saturday’s performance after allowing all six goals against Utah.