When the Chicago Blackhawks need a spark, Spencer Knight is there to calm the waters.
On Wednesday evening, the Chicago Blackhawks took on the New York Rangers in the first half of TNT’s doubleheader. That means that the whole hockey world got to watch the Hawks take the Rangers down 3-0.
Louis Crevier, Connor Bedard, and Tyler Bertuzzi all scored goals, and Spencer Knight made 21 saves in a shutout victory for Chicago. After a 1-2-1 road trip, with the two losses being blowouts, the Blackhawks needed a game like this.
In particular, Spencer Knight calmed the waters for the Blackhawks. A performance like that in net was just what the team needed. The skid was far from his fault on the road trip, but it’s nice to have a goalie step up and allow nothing.
After the game, Knight deflected any credit to his teammates, claiming that shutouts are a team stat more than a goalie stat.
"I think it's more a testament to the team than the goalie,” Knight said. “It's the team that gets the shutout. It's not me, it's everyone."
There is some truth to that, and the Blackhawks were sound positionally most of the game, had good sticks, and defended well, but Knight did make some high-danger saves throughout to preserve the shutout.
"He's just calm," Louis Crevier said of Knight's game. "He's one of the best in the league for a reason."
If there were one position that you would want a player to be nice and calm, it would be the goalie. No height will be too high, and no low will be too low. He's perfectly level-headed no matter what, which is perfect for a young team that will go through some ups and downs.
"He's always there to bail us out," Matt Grzelcyk said of Knight. "He has such a calm presence, [he's] great at playing the puck too. [There are] no holes in his game right now, it's fun to see him on a roll like this."
Spencer Knight does a lot of things that a goalie can do to comfort the team in front of him. Hockey is an incredibly hard sport, especially for kids at this high a level. Playing the puck well, having a calm presence mentally, and being talented enough to make incredible saves regularly is the perfect recipe for an elite goalie in the game.
This shutout was Knight's second of the season. He now has a record of 10-6-5, a 2.50 goals against average, and a .916 save percentage. In a year where goaltending is down, Knight is standing out above most.
Is it too early to talk about being a Vezina Trophy candidate? Probably. He has been mentioned in Olympic discussions when talking about Team USA's third goalie, but he may even be a bit early for that as well. With that said, if he keeps playing at this level, he will force his name into all of these conversations even more as the years go on.
When you listen to him speak, or the way his teammates speak of him, you can feel the calming nature of his game and personality. That can radiate throughout the lineup and allows the team to play at the height of their powers if all is going well.
The Blackhawks will face the St. Louis Blues on Friday and the Detroit Red Wings on Saturday. Arvid Soderblom and Spencer Knight are likely going to split that back-to-back set, and each guy needs to continue what Knight did in this win over the Rangers.
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