Adin Hill made just his second appearance in goal since Mar. 7 in relief on Monday night — and led the Vegas Golden Knights to a commanding 5-1 win over the high-flying Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their Stanley Cup Playoff series.
Starter Laurent Brossoit sustained a lower-body injury at 11:44 of the first period at Rogers Place, and was forced to leave the game after stretching and attempting to stop a rebound after a right pad save on Oilers superstar Connor McDavid, according to NHL.com.
Hill was ready for the moment.
The 26-year-old stopped all 24 shots he faced in the contest, stymying one of the NHL's best offenses in the process.
“Gutsy performance by ‘Hillsy', that's not an easy thing to do,” Golden Knights forward Jack Eichel said, per NHL.com. “It's tough to see our starting goalie go down and be in the type of pain he was in…But ton of credit to ‘Hillsy' coming in mid-game. I know he hasn't played a lot lately, but I thought he did a great job.”
Eichel led the way for the Vegas offense, scoring a goal and adding two assists in the convincing win. But it was Hill who stole the show.
“You look back and I think, fortunately for him, [Hill] got into the third period the other night and he got a taste of the temperature of playoff hockey,” head coach Bruce Cassidy explained. “It wasn't the best circumstances, but it probably helped him a little tonight.”
Las Vegas looked like a completely different team than the one that was hammered 5-1 on home ice in Game 2, completely flipping the switch on Monday, and Hill's solid play was a big reason why.
“I just tried to be patient and stay on my feet as long as I can was the biggest thing I tried to focus on,” Adin Hill said after just his second ever playoff game. “Just tracking the puck and being patient and I feel when I do that, I'm at the top of my game.”
Game 4 between the Oilers and Golden Knights is set for Wednesday night at Rogers Place.
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