Adin Hill has experienced multiple transformations during the Vegas Golden Knights’ playoff run.
The goalkeeper has gone from obscure backup to key player as the Golden Knights reached the Stanley Cup Finals. Now, the former Portland Winterhawk could win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Golden Knights sit one win away from capturing the Stanley Cup.
Hill has positioned himself as a candidate for the Smythe Trophy (awarded to the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Finals) following another scintillating performance in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals. Hill made a couple of amazing saves during the final seconds of the Golden Knights’ 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers Saturday night, giving the Golden Knights a 3-1 lead in the series.
With Panthers – Florida had a 2-man advantage – swarming around him in from of the net, Hill stoned Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett in the final moments to secure the win.
“I kind of saw where the puck was and just tried to do anything I could to get a piece of something on it,” Hill told reporters after the game. “In situations like that it’s just full on desperation.”
Hill was hot coming into the Stanley Cup Finals, and he has remained hot. Hill stopped 29 of 31 shots in the game, none bigger than those final two. He has blocked 111 of 120 shots in the series and has the highest save percentage (.934) among all goalies in the postseason.
The 27-year-old Hill has a 10-4 record since he replaced an injured Laurent Brossoit early in Game 3 of the Golden Knights’ second-round series against Edmonton. Hill is the first goaltender in NHL history to earn 10 wins in a single postseason after not playing in his team’s opening round.