LAS VEGAS– Bruce Cassidy winked after saying he won’t reveal his starting goaltender when the Vegas Golden Knights face the Dallas Stars in Game 7 of the Western Conference first round at the American Airlines Center from Dallas on Sunday (7:30 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, MAX, truTV, TBS, BSSW, SN, TVAS), although all signs point to Adin Hill.
“(Adin) came here, he already ruled out Dallas. Twice, I think,” the Golden Knights coach said Saturday before leaving for Dallas. “How about a (third) time, ‘Hilly’? This is what we are looking for. I’m sure they’ll have something to say about it and have a game plan for him.
Hill was the first goalie to leave the Golden Knights’ morning skate on Sunday, making it clear he will be the starter.
Cassidy turned to Hill for Game 5 after Logan Thompson started the first four games of the best-of-7 series. Thompson won the first two, lost the next two and has a 2.35 goals-against average and .921 save percentage.
Hill allowed three goals on 25 shots in a 3-2 loss, then made 23 saves in a 2-0 victory in Game 6 at T-Mobile Arena on Friday. He has a 1.52 GAA and a .938 save percentage in his two starts.
“It’s almost an even split either way, and I’m not really surprised they ended up working that way if the show went the distance,” Cassidy said. “Logan played more (at the end of the season) and was on his game; Adin was still trying to find him. So even though we know Adin has the experience to be in there, we balance the two, and here we are.
