Adin Hill Steps Up While Carter Hart Gets Hurt at Morning Skate

by Ryan Rose

What Happened

The trouble started before the puck ever dropped. During the Tuesday morning skate on Oct. 27, Hart made a butterfly save during a 2-on-1 drill. He skated off slowly with a limp, according to reports from The Hockey News and the Associated Press. The team did not say what the injury was. It only said Hart was being looked at.

That left Hill as the starter for the Ottawa game. The Golden Knights also called up Cameron Whitehead from the Henderson Silver Knights, their farm team in Henderson, to serve as the backup that night. Vegas's head coach said Hart was "in good hands" and that the team had a plan going forward.

Then Hill went out and did his job. The first period had no goals. Braeden Bowman scored late in the second period to give Vegas a 1-0 lead. Ottawa's Shane Pinto tied it on a power play just 34 seconds into the third. After that, Raphael Lavoie scored at 8:01 of the third for the go-ahead goal. It was his first NHL goal. William Karlsson and Jack Eichel each added an empty-net goal, and Vegas won 4-1. Hill finished with 25 saves.

Three nights later, on Friday, Oct. 30, Vegas lost 5-2 to the New Jersey Devils. That was Nevada Day, a state holiday, so a lot of locals had the day off and were watching. The score looks ugly for a goalie. But Gary Lawless, the team columnist for VegasGoldenKnights.com, wrote that Hill was the best player on the ice for Vegas that day.

Lawless pointed to the second period. Depending on which stat service you trust, New Jersey had as many as 12 high-danger chances in that period alone. Two of them beat Hill. Both of those goals came off turnovers and defensive breakdowns in front of him. In Lawless's words, "Hill wasn't the problem."

The loss dropped Vegas to 9-5-1. It was the team's third loss in its last four games.

Hockey goalie set in the crease during a game, the position Adin Hill has held for Vegas while Carter Hart is hurt

Why It Matters to Las Vegas Residents

If you live in the valley, you know the Golden Knights are more than a team. They are a big part of how this town sees itself. Fans wear the gold on game days at work and at school. Bars and restaurants from Summerlin to Henderson fill up on game nights. When the team struggles, people talk about it at the grocery store.

Goaltending is the one topic that never goes away. Vegas fans have argued about the crease since the very first season. So when the starter gets hurt at a morning skate, it is real news. It changes who you will see in net, and it changes how the team plays in front of him.

Here is the key number to understand. Hill's season stats look average on paper. A 2.84 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage are not the numbers that win awards. But Lawless explained why those numbers do not tell the full story. Two of Hill's seven starts saw him give up four or more goals. In four of his starts, he held the other team to two goals or fewer. A couple of rough nights, often with breakdowns in front of him, pulled his averages down.

That matters for fans trying to read the box score. A goalie can stop a lot of hard shots and still lose if the team in front of him keeps giving the puck away. Lawless quoted an old saying about the position: "Goalies are judged for the goals they don't stop, not the ones they do stop." That is a fair way to think about Hill's start.

If you are newer to hockey, here is a quick guide to the two numbers you see most. Goals-against average, or GAA, is how many goals a goalie gives up per 60 minutes of play. Lower is better. Save percentage is the share of shots on goal the goalie stops. A .891 save percentage means Hill has stopped about 89 of every 100 shots he has faced. Higher is better. Both numbers can swing a lot early in the season, because a goalie has only played a handful of games. One bad night can move them more than you would expect.

What neither number tracks is shot quality. A goalie who faces a lot of breakaways and point-blank chances will have worse numbers than one who faces long shots from the blue line. That is why Lawless leaned on high-danger chances in his column. Those are the shots from right in front of the net, where goals are most likely. When a team gives up a dozen of them in one period, the goalie is under siege.

It also matters for the team's season. Vegas is 9-5-1 and has been up and down. If Hart is out for a while, Hill will carry more of the load. How he handles that stretch could shape how the first half of the season goes.

And there is a local twist. The backup who came up for the Ottawa game, Cameron Whitehead, plays for the Henderson Silver Knights. That is the AHL team that plays its home games in Henderson. When the big club needs help, it often looks just down the road. For Henderson fans, that is a reason to keep an eye on the farm team too.

Empty hockey goal net on blue ice, the crease Carter Hart and Adin Hill have shared for the Golden Knights

Background and History

Hart and Hill have shared the net for much of this season. Before the Ottawa game, the Associated Press listed Hart at 4-3-1 with a 2.76 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage. Hill was 4-1 with a 2.95 goals-against average and an .882 save percentage at that point. The Ottawa win and the New Jersey loss moved Hill to 5-2.

Hart has had injury trouble before. According to the AP, he missed nearly three months last season after hurting his left leg. He came back and ended up in net for the playoffs. In the first three rounds, he went 12-4 with a 2.22 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage. Vegas reached the Stanley Cup Final and lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in six games.

Hart signed a two-year, $4 million contract with Vegas, according to the AP. Hill has been with the Golden Knights longer. Fans remember him as the goalie who stepped in during the team's 2023 Stanley Cup run.

This season is a big one for the franchise. The 2026-27 season is the team's 10th. In that time, Vegas has been called the most successful expansion team in North American pro sports, won the Stanley Cup in 2022-23, and reached the Stanley Cup Final three times. With that kind of history, every slump gets noticed. And with a goalie hurt in the middle of one, the pressure goes up.

Most NHL teams now plan on two goalies sharing the season. The schedule is long, with 82 regular-season games, plus travel and back-to-back nights. Very few goalies start every game anymore. That is why the backup job matters so much, and why a team with two starting-level goalies feels safer when one of them gets hurt. Vegas built its crease around that idea this year, with Hart and Hill splitting the work.

The Ottawa game also showed the team's depth up front. Lavoie's first NHL goal was the game-winner. Moments like that are why fans love the early part of a season. Young players get their chance, and some of them grab it.

What Happens Next

The biggest open question is Hart's health. After the Ottawa game, the team said he was still being evaluated. As of this writing, the team has not given a full update on what the injury is or how long he might be out. We are not going to guess. When the team shares more, we will know more.

Until then, expect Hill to keep getting the bulk of the starts. Watch how often Vegas calls on its Henderson goalies for backup duty. That will tell you a lot about how the team sees Hart's timeline.

The other thing to watch is the team in front of the goalie. Lawless wrote that Vegas is not playing its best hockey right now. He said the team sometimes gets stubborn with the puck and tries to force plays instead of taking what the other team gives. He thinks Vegas can score off the forecheck and off the rush if it balances skill with smart puck management. He also wrote that what the team is going through "won't last. It can't last." If the skaters clean up the turnovers, Hill's numbers should look a lot better too.

Here is a simple checklist for the next couple of weeks. First, see who the team names as the starter at each morning skate. Second, see who sits on the bench as the backup, and whether that goalie came up from Henderson. Third, track how many high-danger chances Vegas gives up. If that number drops, both the wins and Hill's save percentage should go up. None of these require you to be a hockey expert. They just tell you which way the season is leaning.

Hockey players and referees on the ice during an NHL style game, like the Golden Knights win over Ottawa at T-Mobile Arena

Ryan's Take

I love this team, and I love how much this town cares about it. When I talk with buyers moving here from other states, the Golden Knights come up all the time. People ask where the fans live, which neighborhoods have the best game-night spots, and how far it is to T-Mobile Arena. The truth is, Knights fans live everywhere in the valley. You will see flags on houses in Summerlin, Henderson, Spring Valley, Centennial Hills and North Las Vegas. That shared pride is one of the things that makes Las Vegas feel like a real hometown, not just a tourist town.

As for the crease, I like what I see from Hill. A goalie who keeps you in games while the team figures things out is worth a lot. If you are new to town and want to catch a game, this is a fun time to start watching. You get to see a team work through a tough stretch, and those are often the seasons people remember most.

What You Can Do

If you want to follow the goalie situation, the best source is the team itself. VegasGoldenKnights.com posts injury news and Gary Lawless's columns. Local outlets like KTNV and the Review-Journal cover the team every day. Watch for updates on Hart before each game, since lineup news often comes out at the morning skate.

If you want to see a goalie on the way up, check out the Henderson Silver Knights. Tickets for AHL games are usually easier to get than NHL tickets, and you might see the next Vegas call-up before he makes the jump. It is also a great night out for families who live on the Henderson side of the valley.

If you are going to a game at T-Mobile Arena, plan ahead. Game nights mean traffic near the Strip, so give yourself extra time. Many locals park off the Strip and walk, or take a rideshare to avoid the jam after the final horn. Getting there early also gives you time to enjoy the plaza before puck drop.

And if you have kids who want to play like Hill, the valley has several community rinks with learn-to-play and house league programs. A lot of local goalies got their start in those programs.

And if a love of hockey is part of why you are thinking about moving to Las Vegas, or moving within the valley, I am happy to help you think through which areas fit your life. Some buyers want to be close to the Strip and T-Mobile Arena. Others want to be near a community rink for their kids. There are good options either way. Areas like Summerlin put you close to City National Arena, the team's practice home, while neighborhoods in Spring Valley and the southwest keep the drive to T-Mobile Arena short. I can help you compare commute times, schools and home prices so the choice fits your whole life, not just game nights.

Hockey jerseys hanging in a locker room before a game, a reminder of the depth the Golden Knights lean on when a goalie is hurt

Have questions about how this affects your home or neighborhood? Reach out to Ryan Rose or text/call 702-747-5921 anytime. You can also email ryan@rosehomeslv.com or visit rosehomeslv.com. Ryan Rose | Real Broker, LLC | 702-747-5921.