Vegas had another golden opportunity to oust the Chicago Blackhawks as they squared off for game five with the series in their clutches at 3-1. They did what they couldn’t do in game four: come from behind to seal the deal and move on to round two with a 4-3 win.
Looking Familiar
The first period of game five looked eerily similar to the opening period of game four, with the Golden Knights imposing their style of play, clearly trying to wear out the Blackhawks and break down their defensive core. It was hard, fast, four-line hockey right from puck drop with Chicago looking slightly lost.
That is until just over 10 minutes in when Robin Lehner gave up a soft rebound to Jonathan Toews who made the veteran netminder pay. After being unable to wrangle in the Domenic Kubalik backhanded attempt, Lehner coughed up a juicy opportunity to Toews as he was standing on the doorstep. Suddenly, again, all of the dominance in the early goings was for naught as the Golden Knights found themselves down a goal.
Play began to open up after the Chicago goal which wound up leading to another. This time, it was Alex DeBrincat sniping one in past the Golden Knights goaltender. Dylan Strome did well on the cross-crease feed to the Blackhawks right-winger. The play began with an offensive zone turnover by Nicolas Roy and Vegas just couldn’t get the puck back.
They did however, win it back on the restarting face-off and made quick work of cutting the Chicago lead in half. Max Pacioretty rifled a slap-pass from Brayden McNabb into an open cage. While he may not have picked up an assist on the play, Mark Stone was integral as he tied up Duncan Keith, preventing the defensive stalwart from getting in on the shot. So with 31 seconds left in the period, Vegas was down a goal despite early dominance.
Highs And Lows
The Golden Knights came out hot in the second period, getting even within 57 seconds of the opening face-off. Vegas capitalized off of a Blackhawks giveaway at their blue-line, getting a few shots off before solving backstop Corey Crawford. Pacioretty’s shot didn’t have enough on it for his second of the game, but the rebound fell on William Karlsson’s tape, who fed the rebound to a trailing Stone. Stone’s silky mitts made Crawford look a little silly as they fired home the equalizer.
The second period was a textbook display of Vegas’ depth as they continued to roll out threatening hockey with every line. When the Blackhawks weren’t being faced with top-end talent, they were being forced to play the Golden Knights’ gritty, physical style of hockey, led by Ryan Reaves.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t all highlight worthy for Vegas in the second as Nate Schmidt committed a costly turnover at his own blue-line. Seconds later, Drake Caggiula dropped the puck to Patrick Kane who was clinical, putting it five-hole past Robin Lehner. After a coy celebration, the Chicago Blackhawks would get their lead back.
The highlights quickly resumed with Vegas’ power play finally getting themselves on the board. The previously ineffective unit got the team back on level terms with an Alec Martinez lazer from the dot. Schmidt made up for his earlier mistake with a no look pass on the play which was assisted from the blue-line by Karlsson.
On The Edge
When the third period began, it was as if Vegas could feel the second round. And within two minutes, they were oh-so close to getting there. Alex Tuch put his team in the lead for the first time since game three, managing to beat Crawford off of a saucer pass from Jonathan Marchessault. While it looked like he may have initially fanned on the shot, he either hit enough of the puck with some part of him, or Adam Boqvist had a hand in getting it over the line. Regardless, Vegas was up 4-3.
The Knights seemed intent on not relinquishing their new lead as they buckled down defensively and kept Chicago at bay. Vegas continued to roll their four lines, and play shutdown hockey, seemingly suffocating the Blackhawks.
A beautiful play by Tuch and Chandler Stephenson appeared to give the Golden Knights a two goal lead, until Chicago challenged on the basis of goaltender interference. After review, it was deemed that a Knight inhibited Crawford from being able to make a play on the puck.
When it was back at a one-goal game, the pace increased dramatically, as if Chicago had found new life. Despite a mad scramble to close it out, there was nothing left in the Blackhawks tank, as they fell to the Golden Knights in the opening round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Bottom Line
After watching this game it is clear that Vegas’ depth will be one of their greatest advantages as they continue through these playoffs. Whoever they draw up against next will be hard pressed to keep up with the rolling waves of Vegas hockey, especially because even the more skillful lines still look to play a bruising brand of hockey. Provided they remain injury free, the Golden Knights could ride this wave to a deep Cup run.
Speaking of depth, there may be value in entertaining the idea of using that goalie depth in the opening game of round two. While Lehner didn’t look bad through games four and five, he certainly did not look as strong as fans have grown accustomed to. Fleury, on the other hand, had a golden performance in game three and could be the better bet to open the next round with a win.