Golden Knights goaltending picture looks shaky if Carter Hart is out

It wasn’t the first time Adin Hill played the puck aggressively out of his crease. It won’t be the last.

It was the first time, though, that the Vegas Golden Knights goaltender went into butterfly position while skating 60 feet out of his crease to stop a short-handed chance for the Ottawa Senators.

“I think I’ve maybe been further away from my net, but that’s the first flying butterfly I’ve done,” Hill said, followed by a chorus of laughter.

Hill’s linebacker-like tackle of Ottawa’s Ridly Greig turned the momentum in the Knights’ favor. Seconds after, Braeden Bowman scored the first goal with time ticking down in the second period.

It won’t go down as a save — or a hit, for that matter — but that’s the play that endeared Hill to the fanbase.

When he’s reading pucks like he has been to start the season, the flashes from the Stanley Cup run in 2023 come out. Hill put together a 24-save effort Tuesday to help the Knights to a 4-1 win over Ottawa.

“I feel good about my game right now,” said Hill, who improved to 5-1-0 on the season. “Just keep trying to work on everything in practice and stay dialed in and be ready for the next one.”

That next one could be Friday when the Knights host the New Jersey Devils.

That’s because the status of goaltender Carter Hart is still up in the air after he left morning skate Tuesday with a lower-body injury.

Coach Ryan Craig said Hart was still being evaluated as of Tuesday night. The Knights did not practice Wednesday.

“I thought ‘Hilly’ really let us, after our first four shifts in the game, get to a chance to win the hockey game,” Craig said. “He looked solid back there. He looked like he was prepared and ready to play. Good on him.”

What could happen

Hart’s injury could pave the way for Hill to return to the starter’s crease, if it is as serious as it looked when Hart limped to the locker room.

“We’re on to the next game and I’m just going to get ready and approach every game like I would normally,” Hill said.

The play on Greig was crucial. It also could have set the Knights’ goalie situation in shambles if that collision went wrongly for Hill.

The Knights had to call up 23-year-old Cameron Whitehead from the Henderson Silver Knights to back up Hill on Tuesday.

Whitehead, a fourth-round pick of the Knights in 2022, had a strong college career at Northeastern before turning pro at the end of the 2025 season.

Whitehead is now the starter in Henderson after Carl Lindbom suffered an injury on Oct. 17 against the Ontario Reign.

Lindbom, the organization’s No. 3 goalie, allowed five goals total in four starts with Henderson.

Whitehead, to his credit, has been stellar in his absence with four goals allowed in three games. He stopped 29 of 30 shots Friday in an overtime win against Tucson.

The rest of the organization

If Hart — and Lindbom, for that matter — are out for long, Whitehead could see his first NHL action soon. The Knights start a four-game East Coast road trip Monday in Boston.

That would mean more opportunity for Pavel Moysevich, the Knights’ third-round pick of 2024, with Henderson.

Moysevich, 22, made his pro debut Saturday, giving up four goals in a 4-1 loss to the Roadrunners. The 6-foot-7 netminder was one of the best goalies in the Kontinental Hockey League the past two seasons.

Henderson would have to recall someone from the Tahoe Knight Monsters — likely Jordan Papirny, who has played 46 games with the Silver Knights.

Goaltending is in flux for the moment. Situations not in play two weeks ago are on the table. Thursday’s practice should provide a clearer picture.

Contact Danny Webster at [email protected]. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.