Golden Knights Defenseman Put On A Defensive Clinic Against Canada’s Best

Vegas Golden Knights and Team USA defenseman Noah Hanifin put on a defensive clinic against the best Team Canada had to offer.

Hanifin is no stranger to Edmonton Oilers’ Connor McDavid. The 28-year-olds entered the NHL in the same draft class, each going inside the top five in the 2015 NHL draft. They had faced off at the World Juniors and countless times when Hanifin was playing with the Calgary Flames.

Now, with the Golden Knights, Hanifin’s role of attempting to shut down or slow down McDavid is just as vital.

In a highly anticipated affair between Canada and the USA, Hanifin was once again instructed to play the bulk of his minutes against McDavid.

At times this season, Hanifin has struggled defensively. He’s been caught out of position in his own end and has routinely given his opponents too much time and space. His rush defence has remained intact due to his phenomenal skating, but every aspect of his defensive game was on point last night.

He was physical against every Canadian forward, maintained effective gaps and held smart positions to protect the front of his net.

The Golden Knights blue liner finished with the third highest time on ice among American defenders, trailing just Carolina Hurricanes’ Jacob Slavin and Minnesota Wild’s Brock Faber, who each played over 25 minutes. Hanifin finished yesterday’s contest with one shot on goal, three hits and two blocked shots in 20:13 of ice time.

For Hanifin and the Golden Knights, they’ll want these performances to be replicated when NHL games resume. The Boston, MA native has been searching for his game for quite some time, and the 4 Nations Face-Off looks to have found it.

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