The Golden Knights don’t expect Logan Thompson to miss the rest of the season with the lower-body injury he suffered Thursday in Minnesota, but they also don’t expect him back any time soon.
The team listed Thompson as week to week, and coach Bruce Cassidy said, “It never looks good when a guy gets carried off, but hopefully he’s a quick healer. He’s young.”
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Vegas will be without its All-Star rookie goalie for the immediate future, leaving it with Adin Hill and Laurent Brossoit in net. Hill has started 19 games this season for the Golden Knights, posting a .911 save percentage and minus-3.6 goals saved above expected. Brossoit spent the early part of the season recovering from offseason hip surgery and has played 23 games for the AHL Henderson Silver Knights since returning.
“We do have a highly motivated guy in (Brossoit), and now we’ve got Hill, who has played well and would probably love the shot at being the guy, so here it is,” Cassidy said.
The goalie situation is far from ideal for the Golden Knights, but Cassidy is right that they have two goalies who are playing with a lot on the line. After his five seasons in Arizona and San Jose, Hill has yet to play for a team still in the playoff chase late in the regular season. Now thrown into a starting role, he’ll be playing plenty of meaningful games on the big stage.
“It’s very exciting,” Hill said. “I’ve never been in a spot in my career, backing up or starting, where I’ve been on a playoff-picture team. I’m hoping we can make it, and then hopefully go on a long run and try and raise that Cup.”
Hill has been in good form lately. He’s stopped 23 of 25 shots in Sunday’s 7-2 win over Anaheim and has stopped 43 of 46 shots in the three games since the All-Star break. Going back further, Hill has a .932 save percentage in his last eight appearances.
The Golden Knights defense has been stellar since Zach Whitecloud returned to the lineup, giving them a fully healthy blue line. They’ve allowed only 16 high-danger chances at even strength in the last three games.
“Our defensemen have done a really good job of tightening up in front, and any rebounds or traffic they’ve done a good job of clearing,” Hill said.
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Then there’s Brossoit, who hasn’t played in an NHL game in 11 months but has more experience than both Hill and Thompson. He’s also feeling better than he has in over a decade after surgery on a hip that has bothered him since he was a teenager.
“There’s a lot of mobility stuff, range (of motion) and parts of my body that I have access to that I haven’t had honestly since junior (hockey),” Brossoit said. “It’s starting to come together.”
Though he was disappointed to spend so much time in the AHL after his surgery, Brossoit sees it as a positive that allowed him to sharpen his game before getting this big opportunity.
“I didn’t think it would take this long, but I’m starting to feel back to normal,” he said. “It was a blessing in disguise to be able to kind of work through some stuff down there (in the AHL).”
Brossoit has never been a No. 1 goalie at the NHL level, but he’s shown plenty of stretches of really strong play in net. He’s technically sound, skates well and has tremendous patience. Now finally feeling 100 percent after playing through hip pain for years, he could be his best version yet. He’s certainly excited to show that.
“I’m really happy with the added potential that I think the surgery has given me,” Brossoit said. “I’m just hoping I can see that through.”
Cassidy is still evaluating and deciding what the rotation will look like between Hill and Brossoit in net.
“That might depend on Brossoit, and how he does,” Cassidy said. “I haven’t seen him play. I’ve watched some of the games from Henderson, so I’ve seen him play and that’s it. For me, it’s a little bit of, let’s see how he does and go from there. I don’t want to tell you it will be this and then go away from it.”
Luckily for the Golden Knights, this is a light part of the schedule. They have three days off before their next game versus San Jose on Thursday and don’t have games on consecutive days until April. That will allow Cassidy to play the better goalie nightly.
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If the team can play as well defensively as it has lately, Hill and Brossoit should be fine. It will be interesting to see whether they can maintain that structure, and how Hill and Brossoit react to elevated roles. The Golden Knights’ playoff hopes will rely on both until Thompson’s return.
(Top photo: Brad Penner / USA Today)
