Earlier this month, I acknowledged the difficulty of defending a Stanley Cup title. Apparently, no one mentioned that to the Vegas Golden Knights, who have cruised to an undefeated 6-0 start, the best start by a reigning champion in league history.
They haven’t made it look particularly hard, either. Other than surviving a 3-2 overtime thriller against the Dallas Stars on Oct. 17, all of the team’s wins have come with multi-goal margins of victory. While Thursday’s (Oct. 19) road win against the Winnipeg Jets required some late-game heroics from Jack Eichel and an empty net insurance goal by Nicolas Roy, Saturday’s 5-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks would’ve finished with a three-goal cushion were it not for a meaningless Corey Perry goal with 15 seconds left. The team’s first three games, meanwhile, resulted in identically comfortable 4-1 scores.
On one hand, it shouldn’t be surprising to see a defending champion carry their dominance into the next season. On the other hand, this is a veteran team with a checkered injury history that lost a key forward (Reilly Smith) and could have been expected to ease into things following a grueling playoff run in 2022-23. Here are some of the reasons why that hasn’t been the case:
Goaltending
Vegas entered the 2023-24 season with a two-pronged goalie attack. Adin Hill was the playoff hero who backstopped the team to the Cup, while Logan Thompson was an All-Star representative for the club before being sidelined with injuries. Despite each netminder carrying over some pretty impressive 2022-23 highlights, there were questions. Hill had never appeared in more than 27 games in a season, while Thompson, boasting even less experience, hadn’t suited up since March (from ‘Logan Thompson fully healthy, ready to help Golden Knights in title defense,’ Las Vegas Sun, 08/30/23).
As expected, Hill has served as 1A to Thompson’s 1B, starting four games to his teammate’s two thus far. While there’s still more to prove, the results have been more than the club could have hoped for. Despite a shaky outing against Connor Bedard and the Blackhawks (three goals on 24 shots), Hill owns a 1.73 goals-against average (GAA) and .934 save percentage (SV%). Meanwhile, Thompson has handled his backup role to the tune of a 2-0 record, 2.00 GAA, and .935 SV%.
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At a time when so many teams are being undone by shaky play in net as goaltenders round into form, there is a direct correlation between the Golden Knights’ perfect start and the stellar early showings from Hill and Thompson.
All Hands on Deck
During last season’s playoff run, the top line of Eichel, Ivan Barbashev, and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault sparked the Golden Knights’ offensive attack. The trio has been reunited and is off to a strong start, but the team’s offensive identity has been one of balance. So much balance, in fact, that through six games, they’ve already had goals from 16 different players and points from 21.
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We know the depth of Vegas’ blue line, but now we are seeing how dangerous the forward corps can be throughout the lineup. Goal-scoring aside, Eichel, Chandler Stephenson, Mark Stone, William Karlsson, and blueliner Shea Theodore have averaged at least a point per game through six contests. Meanwhile, sizzling starts from depth players like Roy, Paul Cotter, Jonas Rondbjerg, and even defenseman Kaedan Korczak have offered unprecedented early balance.
The benefits of this cannot be overstated. Knowing that offense can come from anywhere takes significant pressure off the top-six and gives head coach Bruce Cassidy confidence that he can ease off some of the team’s stronger forwards at times without worrying about a dip in production. Even Pavel Dorofeyev, who appeared poised for a larger offensive role in 2023-24, has struggled to find opportunities thanks to the play throughout the lineup.
The Golden Knights will be the first to tell you that no one in the locker room is resting on the accomplishments of six games. But when you can put yourself in a class of your own, even among Stanley Cup winners, it certainly merits acknowledgment. With a relatively soft upcoming schedule and five of their next six games at home, there’s reason to believe the momentum carryover from last June will continue.
