11 goals in the last seven home games. Five at 5-on-5.
There’s really no way around the fact that the Golden Knights are in quite the scoring slump, especially at home.
Despite generating plenty of chances, goalies like Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Semyon Varlamov, Linus Ullmark, Carter Hart, and Philipp Grubauer have held the Vegas offense in check. In turn, VGK have dropped six of their last seven home games with the lone win coming in overtime against the lowly Philadelphia Flyers.
All the while though, not much has stopped Reilly Smith.
Currently riding a four-game point streak and a three-game goal streak, Smith has posted five goals and seven points in his last four games. On the season, Smith is up to 17 goals and 25 points. He leads the NHL with four shorthanded goals and he’s been pitching in majorly on the Vegas power play as well. Only Jonathan Marchessault has outscored Smith on the man-advantage with seven goals to Smith’s six.
Smith also leads the team, by a wide margin, in shooting percentage. His 19.8% mark has him more than 5% clear of every other player on the team and a whopping 9.9% ahead of the overall team average. Even more impressive is his 35.3% shooting percentage on the power play. It’s the best of any player in the NHL with at least 15 power play shots.
He’s also boasting an insane 66.7% shooting percentage on the penalty kill, scoring on four of his six shots on goal, also the best of anyone with at least five shots.
He’s been strong in the advanced stat numbers too. He sits third on the team in individual scoring chances created with 88 (behind Stone and Marchessault) and is sixth in high-danger chances created.
Simply put, there’s been no slowing down Reilly Smith offensively this season. The longest he’s gone between goals has been just five games and he’s scored in 13 of Vegas’ 34 games. While the Golden Knights continue to search for offense, they know they have at least one guy in the lineup they can always rely on.
Oh, and he might be the team’s best 200-foot player as well. That’s $5,000,000 well spent.
Coyote
Here, here! The Misfits (and I mean all the players we still have from that first season) have always been solid hockey players for the VGK. They’ve gone through ups and downs, sure. But I’ve never understood the desire by so many fans over the years to want to trade them or complain about their contracts.
TS
Coyote, they are the core, identity, the heart of the team. The veteran Knights, age aside. We NEED those players. And they earn it EVERY game, win or lose.
Emmanuel
Im still shocked what the Panthers gave up at the expansion draft……..idiocy!
Tim
Misfit line making between 5 and 6 million each well worth it for what they’ve meant to the knights and usually show up every night not injury prone except Smith las year had a bump. They know each other and are fun to watch how they anticipated where there teammate will be on the ice. Fleury and the Misfit line first inductees into the Vegas knights Hall of Fame with numbers retired. After that Mark Stone and that will be the last inductee for the foreseeable future.
Vic
Smith clearly the All Star so far this season.