Hanifin And Hague Are Playing Lights Out For The Golden Knights
When Alex Pietrangelo went out of the lineup due to an illness, Noah Hanifin was left without a defence partner but since pairing with Nicolas Hague, they've been the Vegas Golden Knights' best pairing.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports - Hanifin And Hague Are Playing Lights Out For The Golden KnightsWhen Alex Pietrangelo went out of the lineup due to an illness, Noah Hanifin was left without a defence partner but since pairing with Nicolas Hague, they've been the Vegas Golden Knights' best pairing.
Hague was healthy scratched against the New Jersey Devils and was likely to remain out of the lineup before it was announced that Pietrangelo couldn't play against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Hague was paired with Hanifin and the two instantly meshed.
In the four games they've played together, they've allowed just one goal. They've played 64 minutes together and according to MoneyPuck, they post a 72.3 XGoals%.
According to NaturalStatTrick, they have only given up just five high-danger chances while the team has produced nine high-danger chances when they are on the ice.
The pairing has provided stability for the Golden Knights. In the past four games, the Golden Knights are 3-1-0 and have allowed just nine goals in that span. Five goals came from a 5-3 loss to the Lightning. One of the five goals was also an empty net goal.
The entire defensive group is playing better and there's no doubt about it but Hague and Hanifin have been playing a lot of minutes. The two of them are playing against the opponent's top offensive players and they are winning their minutes.
The Golden Knights are in for a tough matchup against a Nashville Predators team that is on a 17-game point streak with a 15-0-2 record in that span. Hague and Hanifin will have their hands full tonight going up against the Predators' top line. Filip Forsberg, Ryan O'Reilly and Gustav Nyquist have been red-hot during this streak.
Forsberg comes into this game on a five-game goal streak. He's scored 39 goals and 78 points in 71 games.
The Predators have been playing air-tight defensively and the Golden Knights will have to find ways to generate offence. The offensive game of Hanifin hasn't fully arrived with the Golden Knights despite the solid defensive game he's shown.
As Hanifin continues to become more comfortable we will likely see him have a larger effect on the Golden Knights offence.
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