Post by Vegas Golden Knights on Nov 26, 2023 19:43:13 GMT -6
Last season, the Golden Knights limped in to the playoffs but had high hopes their late season acquisitions would make the difference. After a 4 game sweep at the hands of the Dallas Stars, they had their answer.
That team was a high scoring squad led by Austin Matthews and Travis Konecny, who continue to dominate this season but shouldered the load last year. The defense and goaltending left a lot to be desired.
Lets start with Shesterkin, who seems to have made big strides since last season. At the end of the season, Shesterkin had a save percentage of .895 (14th) and a GAA of 3.31 (15th). He also had a whopping 0 shutouts in his 67 games played.
This year, things are already looking a LOT better. Not only does Shesterkin already have 1 shutout 20 games in to the season, his save percentage of .919 and GAA of 2.44 are both good for 2nd in the PFHL. The Knights have also given up the least number of goals in PFHL.
Last year, the Knights were relying on guys like Ben Hutton and Josh Manson to round out the bottom 6 dmen...they have both been jettisoned and this season the 3rd pairing is the defensively sound Chris Tanev and more offensively inclined Wyatt Kalynuk. Having a sound 3rd pairing lets the Knights stack their top 4 defensemen, with one of the best top pairings in the league between Victor Hedman and Devon Toews. Both of whom are top 10 in the PFHL among defensemen in scoring.
Austin Matthews and Travis Konecny are still doing their thing this season, but so far they haven't had to shoulder the entire load, leading to a much more balanced and dangerous Vegas Golden Knights team.
