The Golden Knights are currently ranked 14th in the NHL in penalty kill percentage. Their 81.2% mark has been steadily on the climb, though. After starting a bit slow, allowing five goals on the first 15 (66.7%), they’ve allowed just nine on the last 57 (84.2%).
The last 10 games have been even better as the Golden Knights have conceded just three times on 24 (87.5%) penalty kills. That was highlighted in the game against the Chicago Blackhawks, where the Golden Knights took three penalties to stop breakaways and failed on an offside challenge, yet managed to keep their penalty kill record clean, going a perfect five for five.
There wasn’t a lot of sustained pressure. One of the plays they like is Bedard to Bertuzzi on the back post, they’ve run that a lot and they burned us on it last year up there, I thought we took that away. When you start taking their options that they want to go to first, then that’s usually considered a win. -Bruce Cassidy
VGK’s primary penalty killers have not changed over the course of the season. On defense, it’s been mostly Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore, followed by Zach Whitecloud and Noah Hanifin. Up front, Cassidy likes to use Jack Eichel and Mitch Marner together, then there are typically mixed combinations of Mark Stone, Colton Sissons, Brett Howden, Brandon Saad, and Reilly Smith (and William Karlsson when he was healthy).
They haven’t really changed their style at any point this season either.
I think our penalty kill, I really believe this, in general has been pretty solid all year. We’ve had a few go in that you look back and say maybe that shouldn’t have gone in or they got a fortunate bounce. The structure of it has been fairly consistent all year and I think you’ll see the number go up if we keep that up. -Cassidy
One place they have improved lately has been in keeping the penalty numbers down. Last game, they allowed five, but in the previous seven, they allowed two or fewer in all but one game and allowed three in that game. That’s much better than early in the season when they allowed three or more in seven of the first nine games.
The improved penalty kill has offset the decline in power play. VGK’s PP is down to 23.5% on the season after starting red hot. Overall, the Golden Knights’ special teams have a combined rate of 104.7%, the 9th best in the NHL.
Anything over 100 is a recipe for success. It’s the lesser thought about unit carrying the water lately.
Pistol Pete
Going back to the last article on points % or whatever I agree with you JB points are what matters. OTL’s are not losses, losses are losses. You get a point for an OTL, you get zero for a loss.
Current points pace is rounded up to 101 (32/26×82).
If on just three of the OTL’s the posts and/or crossbars make a win the points pace would be 110 (35/26×82).
I don’t consider an OTL to be a loss. It’s not you get a point. Pretty tired of the claim the team is below .500. 12-6 is not below .500. Guaranteed the players and coach don’t consider the team under .500.
JB
I certainly agree with this Pete!
Emmanuel
A loss is a loss, its just that you get a point for losing in OT.
They should have stayed with ties or go to a Soccer/FIFA like system,
3 pts for a win, 2 for an OT win & 1 pt for an OT loss.
That being said the biggest issue with the loser point is it makes teams look better than they are & I believe that was at least implied within the article.
The idea that this is a “12-6” talent level team is ludicrous.
Look at the goal differential.
SMH
For the record, there is no overtime in soccer/FIFA games. If the score is tied at the end of regulation, the result is a tie and both teams get 1 point in the standings. The only time there is overtime is in a “knockout” type of tournament / playoff game, in which one team must win the game, but then it is “winner advances / loser goes home”. I’m not sure where you are getting your “2 for an OT win & 1 pt for an OT loss” from – I’ve never heard of such a thing.
So using soccer rules, VGK’s record so far would be 10 wins, 6 losses, and 10 ties. And it’s been said before, but the NHL playoffs have no gimmicky 3-on-3 or shootouts, so impossible to say which team would have won in “real” 5-on-5 overtime for those 10 tied games. Thus, like Pistol, I am inclined to feel that VGK is an “above .500” team so far this season, though unfortunately not playing like a Cup contender over the past month.
Emmanuel
(almost) Every country has a league. Im not speaking of the Amercian League.
Emmanuel
Interesting that so many consider VGK an above average.500 team. I shall reconsider…….
You are correct on the 3/1/1 system being the most common.
Emmanuel
Regarding the article I think a big issue is the drop off after McNabb & Hanifin. Even Theo is a shaky proposition on the kill.
The F are solid. Ive always been puzzled by VGKs lack of success on the PK, the pieces for a very good PK always seemed to be there.