Graham Hughes / The Canadian Press via AP
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jake Allen gives up a goal to Vegas Golden Knights’ Reilly Smith on Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Montreal.
Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Golden Knights 2022
Reilly Smith admits the way he’s scored goals this season has been unique.
The Golden Knights forward is off to one of the best offensive starts to a campaign in his career with 13 points through 16 games. His eight goals rank second on the team.
Of those eight times he’s found the back of the net, only one has been at 5-on-5.
That shows just how valuable the veteran has been in all situations. Smith scored his league-leading third shorthanded goal Saturday against St. Louis; three more goals have come on the power play, and one was the overtime winner Nov. 8 in Toronto.
“It is crazy, but sometimes it’s just how it happens,” Smith said. “Over the course of the season, I’m sure everything will tally out to be a little bit (more) normal than that. Right now, that’s how I’m getting opportunities.”
The 13 points is tied for the most Smith has had through the first 16 games of a season, and he’s done it twice with Vegas — the inaugural season (five goals, eight assists), and 2019-20 (nine goals, four assists). Going back to the expansion year, Smith’s offensive numbers started to blossom once he was put on a line with William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault. They are original members of the franchise in 2017-18, a season in which the team earned the nickname the “Golden Misfits” for dominating the league — when an expansion team was expected to lose — on the way to the Stanley Cup Finals.
After coach Bruce Cassidy reunited the Misfit Line on a full-time basis Oct. 24, Smith has scored 10 points in 10 games, including seven of his goals in that stretch.
It’s also no coincidence that Oct. 24 is when the Golden Knights started their nine-game winning streak that just ended Saturday in a 3-2 loss to St. Louis.
The one constant for Smith’s success? His longtime center. Karlsson has had the primary assist on four of Smith’s seven goals since Oct. 28, including two of his shorthanded goals.
“It’s really nice when you’re able to get rushes off the penalty kill,” Smith said. “Usually there’s four forwards out there, and some teams right now five forwards. There’s some people you can expose.”
The Golden Knights’ penalty kill has been operating at a 75% rate the past five games, which would be in the bottom half of the league, but Smith and Karlsson have long formed one of the most effective penalty-killing duos. Since 2017, Smith’s 12 shorthanded goals are the fourth-most in the league. Karlsson’s 11 shorthanded assists are tied for second in that time.
“He’s got anticipation. He gets to spots, thinking about where the puck will end up,” Cassidy said on what makes Smith effective on the penalty kill. “He’s got chemistry with Karly for the most part, so that’s where he becomes dangerous. Sometimes people relax on the power play. … I think he uses that to his advantage. Players will let up on the power play and it’s a good time to strike if you can.”
Smith has never eclipsed 30 goals in his career. The closest came in 2019-20 when he had 27 before the season paused due to the pandemic. Had the season not unfolded the way it did, he could’ve had that elusive 30-goal season.
He’s well on pace to hit that mark for the first time.
Power play stays strong
The Golden Knights’ power play woes could be a thing of the past.
Since starting the season just 3 of 19 on the man advantage, the Golden Knights have scored a power play in seven of their last 11 games and have operated at a 29% rate. During its nine-game winning streak, Vegas was 7 of 23 on the power play (30.4%).
The success could be creditedto Cassidy changing the alignments on both power play units. Cassidy moved Alex Pietrangelo and Jonathan Marchessaultto the first power play unit while moving Jack Eichel to the right side wall, with Mark Stone and Chandler Stephenson being closest to the net.
Since Cassidy made that change Oct. 22, the Golden Knights have the 11th-best power play in the league.
“I think we’re doing a good job at least not taking away momentum,” Stone said. “We’re getting a lot of chances on it.”
Stone added that he would like the Golden Knights to draw more penalties to get the power play going. Vegas had no opportunities Saturday against St. Louis and had only two each in the prior two games.
For a team that was 22nd and 25th the past two seasons on the power play, though, the Golden Knights will take that.
“We’ve been practicing it every practice. We know it’s been an issue,” Stone said. “If we can hover around this 23, 24% for the whole (season) and the way we’ve been playing 5-on-5, it’d be great.”
Brossoit to Henderson
Goaltender Laurent Brossoit cleared waivers Friday and was assigned to the Henderson Silver Knights on a full-time basis. The 29-year-old continues to work his way back from offseason hip surgery.
The Golden Knights sent Brossoit to Henderson for a conditioning loan Oct. 31 to get him his first game action since March, but Brossoit allowed nine goals during two starts with the AHL club and was pulled after the first period in his second appearance.
Brossoit will be part of a three-man tandem in Henderson with 23-year-old Jiri Patera and 32-year-old Michael Hutchinson.
The decision to put Brossoit through waivers — and risk a team claiming him — did not come as a surprise, given how well Logan Thompson and Adin Hill played during their 13-3-0 start. The loss to St. Louis was Hill’s first in six starts.
Thompson has won six starts in a row.
Upcoming schedule
— 7 p.m. today vs. San Jose — AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Cox 313, DirecTV 674)
— 7 p.m. Thursday vs. Arizona — AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Cox 313, DirecTV 674)
— 7 p.m. Saturday at Edmonton — AT&T SportsNet-Rocky Mountain (Cox 313, DirecTV 674)
