Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight’s terrific October aided by defensive system that plays into his strengths

Blackhawks goalie Spencer Knight isn’t required to understand the nitty-gritty details of coach Jeff Blashill’s systems, so he intentionally doesn’t learn them.

“Even in practices, I couldn’t tell you what drill we’re doing,” Knight said. “Personally, I don’t like knowing where everything’s coming from and what’s going on. I feel like it’s too predictable.”

Little does Knight know that Blashill kept him in mind when deciding the systems.

With the aggressive, higher-pressure defensive tactics the Hawks now use, their forwards and especially their defensemen are urged to get out toward the perimeter of the zone to break up passes and kill plays. That helps them limit long shifts stuck in their own end. However, when they fail to break up passes or kill plays, the Hawks are left more vulnerable in front of the net because the defensemen aren’t conservatively guarding the house, as they have in previous seasons.

As a result, the goalies should face fewer shots — but a higher percentage of dangerous ones. And when they deflect pucks, it’s on them more often to react to rebound shots, since they’re less likely to have a teammate in the crease to clear the puck out.

So far, the data bears all this out.

“If you constantly have two ‘D’ at home, you might be in better position [for rebounds],” Blashill acknowledged. “[But] I think when you get good at this system that we’re playing, you beat your [opponents] back to the net. But you might have bigger breakdowns. You might end up with an opportunity for the goalie where he needs to make a huge save.”

It’s not a coincidence that Knight, with his top-shelf athleticism and quick lateral movement, happens to be exceptionally good at making saves on rebounds and other high-danger shots. His high-danger save percentage of .859 last season was the best in the NHL, just ahead of Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck, the Vezina Trophy winner.

On the other hand, Knight historically has been shakier against low-danger shots than most goalies. His .945 save percentage on low-danger shots last season was third-to-last in the league.

With this defensive system, the Hawks are playing into his strengths and minimizing where he’s weaker.

“I think a pressure-type system does fit him well,” Blashill said, “because the reverse is, you’re in your own end and there’s a lot of traffic. And every goalie probably struggles with traffic.”

Knight said he believes Blashill and his coaching staff have done a good job teaching the system, although that’s where his insight on this topic ends.

“Coaches [and] players will ask me, ‘How do you like to play this situation?’ ” Knight said. “Frankly, I always say, ‘My job is not to really tell you what I like. I just make reads off whatever everyone else is doing.’ ”

Those reads — and everything else — have been nearly perfect through the first few weeks of the season. Knight is the primary reason the Hawks are 3-2-2 with zero losses by more than one goal, despite being outshot in five of their seven games. (Backup Arvid Soderblom also has been solid.)

Knight’s .937 overall save percentage ranks fourth in the league. His plus-5.8 goals saved above average — meaning he has allowed 5.8 fewer goals than an average goalie would against the same shots — ranks second. His high-danger save percentage is a sparkling .882, even better than last year.

The sample size is small, but the Hawks are pushing all the right buttons so far with their new franchise goalie, and he’s rewarding them handsomely.

“Every time he’s in net, you just know he’s going to be good, like something you can count on,” center Frank Nazar said recently. “He’s a brick house. He saves everything.”