Golden Knights Set Rare NHL Goaltending Record

The Vegas Golden Knights, a franchise that is just six years old, set a unique NHL record after their last win against the Edmonton Oilers. With the win, the Golden Knights became the first team in NHL history to win four-straight games with a different goalie starting in every game.

The Golden Knights defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, and Edmonton Oilers with Jiri Patera, Jonathan Quick, Logan Thompson, and Laurent Brossoit all getting wins respectively. Again, this is the first time this has happened in the over 100-year history of the NHL.

"I don't know if that's a good thing. It would be nice to stay healthy… but to be honest this is an assessment of the team and the structure and consistency we play with even if we are hurt player-wise, guys come in and fill positions and play the system and it makes it easier on the goaltenders," said Brossoit.

All season, the VGK have undergone strange goaltending troubles, starting with Robin Lehner being ruled out for the entire season before training camp. The Golden Knights have traded for two goaltenders, Hill and Quick, to try and add goaltending depth, but the injuries have continued.

Head coach Bruce Cassidy stated that the team is starting to get used to the wacky goaltending caroseul that has plagued them all season.

"I think we are just used to that now. Someone is going to go into the net and they are going to give us a chance to win… Our guys are not rattled by it at all. They are not worried about who the goalie is, they're just going out and playing… We're not in the excuse-making business," said Cassidy.

Currently, Quick and Brossoit are the team's healthy goalies with Thompson and Hill being out with lower-body injuries, Patera in Henderson, and Lehner out.

"I think we have been fortunate that the guys that are in, whoever who has been in net has played well and the guys have played well in front of everybody, so we just have to keep that going," said Quick.

This past offseason, the Golden Knights brought in former NHL goaltender Sean Burke to be the team's new goalie coach. In a year that he certainly has been worked hard, Burke has provided all five VGK goaltenders with guidance in the league.

"He's the goalie coach so you've got to give him credit. They are in a good place mentally, that's the biggest challenge. He's not going to be able to go in and re-work everyone's technique but he is working with them on a daily basis saying 'this is the way we are playing.' He deserves his fair share of credit as well as Freddy Bathwaite (Henderson Silver Knights goalie coach) down in Henderson," said coach Cassidy. 

For the VGK, their focus, with just nine games now comes to not only getting all goalies healthy, but ready for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"We don't have enough to give everyone what they want, I do know that… We're going to have to sort through that in a hurry. But let's get them each in right now before we worry about that… Let's hope LT and LB find their game, but how many starts we can give them is the tough part," said Cassidy a week ago.

The Golden Knights will play the Edmonton Oilers next on Tuesday at home at 7:00 p.m.