(Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)

Bruce Cassidy’s defensive system has been a godsend to the Golden Knights since the moment he arrived in Las Vegas. It’s a fairly simple defensive approach that involves a zone focused on packing the middle of the ice.

The biggest benefit of the system is that it typically insulates goalies from seeing bundles of dangerous shots. Through each of his first three full seasons here, VGK’s defense has ranked in the top 10 in high-danger chances against, and they are currently 3rd in the league this season.

There’s another underappreciated benefit to this defensive style too, and that’s skating stress.

Rather than chasing players around in a man-to-man system, the Golden Knights stay in their designated area inside the defensive zone and only active towards the boards when the puck is loose.

According to NHL Edge, this season, the Golden Knights have skated a total of 1,255 miles. This is well below the NHL average of 1,318 and has Vegas ranked 29th in the league in total miles skated. It’s even more dramatic for VGK’s defensemen. They’ve skated 447 miles this season, the lowest of all teams in the NHL, and well below the league average of 481.

The NHL average in miles skated per game is around 48.9, VGK have hit that number just once in the last 10 games and that’s only because of the long overtime game at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night. VGK’s non-OT average is closer to 45 miles per game, a lot less than the league average.

Considering the Golden Knights have played beyond regulation in 11 of their 28 games and still rank near the bottom in total distance skated, it’s clear they are putting far less stress on their bodies than the rest of the league.

Over the course of the season, these numbers will add up in Vegas’ favor. Combined with the fact that the Golden Knights typically try to roll four lines and use all three pairs, their players will be fresher at the end of the season than teams like Calgary, the New York Rangers, and Detroit, who each have more than 150 miles on their bodies through just a quarter of the season.

The Golden Knights aren’t just on track to make the playoffs; they’re trending in a way that they’ll be ready to go once they do.

**NHL Edge data is available here.**