Six of a Kind: The Golden Knights' Blueline Rolls Deep

In the age of the minute-munching defenseman, the Vegas Golden Knights are comfortable rolling all three pairs with ease. And that depth has them within three wins of the Stanley Cup.

Shea Theodore scored his first goal of the 2023 playoffs on Saturday night, a beautiful display of at-the-point puck-handling during which he drew an attacking Panthers forward towards him at the right boards before executing a spectacular spin-o-rama to break free, glide into the slot, and wire it home. 

To everyone, including his own teammates, the revelation of his first postseason marker came as somewhat of a surprise. 

"When they announced that it was his first goal, I mean, I didn't know that," admitted Golden Knights captain Mark Stone to reporters following his team's decisive Game 1 victory over the Florida Panthers. 

"He just generates so much offense for us just with his legs. He creates and moves the puck so well for us. But at the same time, he's one of the best defensemen in the league. So, when he doesn't score, it can build on a guy, I think that's why he's hard on himself because he expects greatness. And tonight, that was a great goal." 

Theodore's Game 1 breakthrough serves as something of a metaphor for the entire Golden Knights blueline. This is a collection of players who play cohesive, effective hockey on a nightly basis from the first pair down to the third. They're mobile, responsible, and, most of all, steady. So steady, in fact, that raw production in the form of goals and assists is far from the be-all, end-all of their value. So when it does come, it's more of a pleasant surprise than a desperately-needed shot in the arm. 

Vegas' highest-scoring defender throughout these playoffs is Alex Pietrangelo with nine points in 17 games. He ranks eighth on the team in total scoring, three points behind the seventh-ranked Reilly Smith. When it comes to goals, Zach Whitecloud paces his fellow blueliners with two -- the second of which he scored on Saturday to give the Golden Knights a lead they would ultimately never relinquish. 

In an era giving way to the rejuvenated defensive sniper, with Erik Karlsson and Roman Josi both either eclipsing or flirting with the 100-point mark in the past two seasons, Vegas' blueline succeeds by committee. Their third pair is just as comfortable in high-leverage spots as their first -- and that's a compliment. In fact, that bottom-pairing duo of Whitecloud and Nick Hague may serve as the lynchpin to their entire concept. 

This method of deployment might not be as sexy as others, and might not encompass the glitz and glamour of the Vegas Strip, but it works. And as of Sunday, it has the Golden Knights within three wins of hockey's ultimate prize. 

"It's a big reason why we're here," explained Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy of his defensive depth post-game. 

"We have six guys we can rollover. We don't rely on wearing two guys out or four guys out series after series. If you've followed us, they (the third pair of Whitecloud and Hague) sometimes play more than other pairs at five-on-five and in penalty kill situations." 

Cassidy isn't lying, either. 

Throughout the playoffs, Vegas has deployed Whitecloud and Hague in a primarily defensive fashion, beginning roughly 60 percent of the pair's shifts in their own zone. That, when compared to top-pair staple Alex Pietrangelo's 50-50 split, or Theodore and his 70 percent zone start share at the opposing blueline, is quite the contrast.  

Despite that decidedly difficult usage, though, the Golden Knights have outscored their opponents by a whopping 16-5 margin with Whitecloud on the ice at even strength and a similarly impressive 17-7 in Hague's minutes. Their steadiness is a tool to open up the ice, one that provides a safe baseline of defensive safety in front of their own goal to allow their higher-profile position-mates -- i.e. Pietrangelo and Theodore -- the freedom to wreak havoc at the other end. 

"Neither one sees a lot of power-play time, and they might not after that breakaway tonight too, by the way," chuckled Cassidy of Whitecloud and Hague.

"That pair means a lot here. They played a championship run together in Chicago (Vegas' AHL affiliate before the founding of the Henderson Silver Knights) a few years ago. It's not the same, but it's still the pressure of continuing to play this time of the year. They've been through a little bit of it. And now, they're getting a taste at a higher level."

What Vegas' comfortability up and down their defensive bench gives them is options. The postseason is a grueling marathon of pain and exhaustion spread over a two months that ultimately feel like an eternity. Even the most conditioned and resilient athletes break down. We're all human, after all. And it's in response to that where the dreaded load management comes into play. 

Compare the workloads of Vegas and Florida's defenders, and a gap emerges. 

The highest-taxed Golden Knight defender on a nightly basis is Pietrangelo at 23:43 with Hague at the bottom with 18:23. 

For the Panthers, Brandon Montour leads the way with 27:29 in ice time per game which more than doubles Josh Mahura's blueline-low mark of 12:30. In fact, three Panthers defenders average more minutes on a per-game basis than Pietrangelo's team-best mark. 

And despite Florida's 10 days of rest in between series, on Saturday night, it sure wasn't the Golden Knights who appeared gassed by the final buzzer. 

This will be a close series no matter the workload. But for Vegas, their comfort to throw any given defenseman over the boards in the game's most crucial moments might just give them a winning edge.