Hill Stones Predators, Knights Cash the Big Looks
The iron sang for Nashville and the flow leaned their way, but Vegas left with the points because Adin Hill slammed the door when it mattered and the Knights buried their chances.
The Predators owned the shot-attempt battle, 60–46, and their best chances added up to about three expected goals — expected goals being how many a team’s chances were worth — at 3.01. They even brushed a would-be tally when Nick Perbix hit the post. Filip Forsberg fired seven shots, and Ryan O’Reilly chipped in on the sheet, but the finishing touch wasn’t there.
Vegas didn’t need volume. Timely strikes from Brett Howden, Jack Eichel, Tomas Hertl and Trevor Connelly masked a middling five-on-five night. Hill handled 25 of 27, including 10 stops on high-danger looks, while Juuse Saros had a rough line: 20 saves on 25 and a goals-saved-above-expected of -3.11 — meaning he allowed more than the shot quality suggested.
Takeaway: Vegas escapes with opportunism and goaltending; Nashville can bank the chance generation but needs cleaner finishes and a Saros reset.
