Knights goalie enters playoffs as unquestioned starter for 1st time

What Adin Hill has done in three seasons as the Golden Knights’ goaltender is what many could wish to do in a career.

Winning the Stanley Cup. Representing his country in a best-on-best tournament. Making a career high in starts and being rewarded with a long-term extension.

The only thing Hill hasn’t done is enter the postseason as “the guy.”

Hill has never walked into the first game of the playoffs as the unquestioned starter. The past two postseasons have seen the 28-year-old come in for relief, whether it be for injury or performance.

There’s no doubt this year. Hill will take the starter’s crease when the Knights face the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of their first-round series at 7 p.m. Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.

“You want to play every game you can,” Hill said. “It doesn’t change, but I’m looking forward to starting Game 1 here and getting on a roll.”

Hill never made a playoff start before the 2023 season. He was forced into duty when Laurent Brossoit suffered a lower-body injury in Game 3 of the second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers.

The rest, of course, is history. Hill went 11-4 and helped the Knights win their first championship.

Last season was about the hot hand. Hill didn’t have it, going 5-10 in his last 16 appearances to close the regular season, while Logan Thompson (8-2-0 in his final 10) did.

Thompson started the first four games, including winning the first two on the road in Dallas, before losing the next two at T-Mobile Arena.

Hill replaced Thompson in Game 5 and looked every bit like the goalie from 2023, not the one who had an .875 save percentage in that 15-game span.

Coach Bruce Cassidy said it was a situation where Hill — off the experience of the championship run — gave the Knights the best chance to win.

Hill allowed five goals in three starts. The Knights, however, scored five goals themselves and lost in seven games to the top-seeded Stars.

Hill has become a standout playoff performer, with a .932 save percentage and 2.09 goals-against average to go with three shutouts.

“Last year, it could have been him or Logan in the playoffs,” Cassidy said. “They gave us good goaltending. We just didn’t score enough.”

Present and future

The Knights signed Hill to a six-year, $37.5 million extension on March 14. Hill was set to be an unrestricted free agent, and the deal had to be done given the state of the goalie market heading into July 1.

Injuries plagued Hill the past two seasons. He missed the final month of the 2023 season with a lower-body injury, then another lower-body injury kept him out for nearly two months last season.

Hill wanted to make 50 regular-season starts this season, and he did that. The nagging injuries were a distant memory with Hill finishing 32-13-5 with a 2.47 goals-against average — fifth-best in the NHL among goalies who made 50 starts — and four shutouts.

“It was nice to hit (that goal),” Hill said. “It was nice to get that first season of 50 games under my belt. I guess, in a way, that’s all to the side now. Just focusing on the playoffs, and I’ll reflect more on that this summer.”

Strong finish

Hill has looked playoff-ready since the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Hill was the backup on Team Canada for the 4 Nations but didn’t get to play. St. Louis Blues goalie Jordan Binnington started each game in the tournament. Hill still relished the chance to stop pucks from some of the best players in the world.

He went 12-3-1 in 16 starts since Feb. 22 with a .920 save percentage and 2.11 goals-against. Only Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck, Los Angeles’ Darcy Kuemper and Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped more pucks and allowed fewer goals.

A rested Hill proved crucial. The Knights went 17-5-4 coming out of the break. The 38 points were third-most in the league in that stretch.

“He’s definitely one of the best goalies in the league,” left wing Victor Olofsson said. “Just his calmness. The leadership he brings on is great for the group.”

Game 1 will be Hill’s 20th playoff appearance with the Knights. That will surpass Robin Lehner for second most in team history. He’ll be 27 away from tying Marc-Andre Fleury.

Sunday may be new, but it’s nothing Hill hasn’t been through before. That also goes for the mission at hand.

“Try to win another Cup,” Hill said. “Just take it one day at a time.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.