Hill Faces the Devils Alone, and Vegas Has No Easy Answer Behind Him

Carter Hart's injury hasn't resolved itself quietly. Four days after he left the morning skate with an undisclosed injury — going down on a butterfly save during a 2-on-1 drill, as I noted when it happened — the Golden Knights lost 5-2 to New Jersey on Saturday, with Adin Hill in net and Connor Hellebuyck on the other end doing what Hellebuyck does.

The depth chart shows Hart and Hill splitting goaltending production evenly, which looks balanced until you remember that balance only holds when both are available. With Hart's status still unclear, Hill is the whole answer right now, and there is nothing behind him that changes that math. Vegas is carrying a goaltending tandem that functions fine as a tandem and becomes thin the moment it isn't one.

The rest of the roster has its own depth questions — the drop from Shea Theodore to the next man at defense is steep, and the second-line center situation behind Jack Eichel is a known concern. But those are slow-burn problems. The goaltending situation is immediate. My read is that the next week or two will tell Vegas a lot about whether Hart's absence is a short inconvenience or something that requires a harder look at the market.