This year, the Vegas Golden Knights earned the reputation as the best third-period team in the league— a silver lining in an otherwise disappointing season. Of course, this was in part due to their slow starts, but during the regular season, the end often justifies the means. After two poor showings against the Anaheim Ducks, this can no longer be the case; the Golden Knights are extremely fortunate to escape with a series split.
In Game One, Carter Hart kept Vegas in the game until their stars arrived. Hart tried to do the same in Game 2; however, despite a 25-save performance, the scoring never came, and the Golden Knights lost 3-1.
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“I think we’re always concerned, no matter what,” said head coach John Tortorella following the game. “Win or lose, coaches are always looking to pronounce the good things and work on the bad things. Yeah, we still have some things to work on.”
The first period was barely played at 5-on-5; both teams combined for over eight minutes of power play time. The Ducks possessed the lion’s share of that power play time, and finished the period with a commanding 13-4 edge in shots. However, despite being thoroughly outshot and generating just four scoring chances against Anaheim’s 12, the Golden Knights escaped the first period and entered intermission tied at zero.
In the second period, the Golden Knights finally strung together some decent shifts and outshot the Ducks 11-7. However, the Ducks were again the better offensive team, generating 20 scoring chances against the Golden Knights’ five.
The Ducks finally broke the ice at 11:23 in the second. Jeffrey Viel redirected Jackson LaCombe’s stretch pass into the zone, pressured Kaedan Korczak into a turnover, and got to Ryan Poehling’s dump-in. Viel found Beckett Sennecke all alone atop the blue paint, and the Calder finalist snapped a shot past Hart’s outstretched glove.
The Ducks doubled their lead at 6:36 in the third period. Leo Carlsson sprung Chris Kreider on a partial breakaway, but Noah Hanifin pushed Kreider to the outside. Kreider curled up and left the puck for Troy Terry, who danced around Rasmus Andersson and found Carlsson back-door.
The Golden Knights finally found their footing and outshot the Ducks 10-8 in the third. They generated 14 scoring chances against Anaheim’s three and controlled 59.48% of the expected goal share.
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However, despite the offensive surge, the Golden Knights couldn’t solve Lukáš Dostál. They pulled Carter Hart for the extra attacker with just under four minutes remaining in regulation, but didn’t manage a single shot on goal. Following a Ducks clear, they turned the puck over at center ice, and Jansen Harkins hit the empty net.
The Golden Knights snapped Lukáš Dostál’s shutout bid on a late power play opportunity with just six seconds remaining in regulation. Jack Eichel got a shot off, and Mark Stone redirected it home for his third goal of the postseason.
“We’re going to find our way and try to play our best game. That certainly hasn’t happened in this series. We’ll find our way and get there,” said Tortorella following the 3-1 loss. “They split here; we’ve got to go in and try to get a game out of there. We’re going to keep our composure and get about our business.”
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1. John Tortorella shook up his top-nine in the third period. He moved Mark Stone back up with Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev, and put William Karlsson with Brett Howden and Mitch Marner. Pavel Dorofeyev slid down to the third line with Tomáš Hertl and Keegan Kolesar.
2. The penalty kill was, once again, a difference-maker for the Golden Knights. In the first period, the Ducks were on the power play for 6:19 consecutively, including an extended 5-on-3. The Golden Knights only allowed two shot attempts during the 1:38 5-on-3.
“Outstanding,” Tortorella said of his penalty kill postgame. “It kind of screws us up— we want to try to get a good start, and we’re sitting in the box. I think that affects things as you’re trying to get through that first period. But the penalty kill has been fantastic, and that was a key part of the game. We just couldn’t make it stand.”
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3. The Golden Knights won’t win this series unless they can figure out how to generate sustained offensive zone pressure. They squeaked out a controversial win last game, but they can’t plan on that happening again. For two periods tonight, they looked like they were hanging on for dear life; they would finally clear the puck, and Anaheim would reset by the time the Golden Knights swapped their tired players for fresh ones.
“We need to have the puck more in their end,” said Tortorella. “A lot of times, we’re one and done. We need to create more pressure there, and I think that will hurt their attack.”
Read More: Golden Knights Drop Fourth Straight Game 2 Since Last Season, Head To Anaheim Tied 1-1
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