It was a battle of the old and new, as the oldest franchise in the west (Chicago Blackhawks) faced the newest* (Vegas Golden Knights). The end result wasn't too surprising, as a powerhouse Vegas team would eliminate a retooling Chicago one in five games.
*I know the Seattle Kraken exist, but they have yet to play a game.
Games
Chicago Blackhawks - 1
Vegas Golden Knights - 4
After a relatively uneventful first, things picked up later in the second. Halfway through the [period, Shea Theodore would open the scoring by snapping one past Corey Crawford's glove. Will Carrier added to the lead moments later, poking home a loose puck to double Vegas' lead. Chicago challenged the goal, claiming it was offside. They lost the challenge, but it ended up being a blessing in disguise, as David Kampf would open the scoring for the Blackhawks while killing off the penalty. The Golden Knights would restore their two-goal lead in the third, as Reilly Smith's shot deflect off Crawford's blocker and into the back of the net. Smith added his second of the game later on, taking a pass from Jonathan Marchessault and roofing a backhander past Crawford. The few chances Chicago got afterwards didn't amount to much. Vegas took the first game of the series 4-1.
Chicago Blackhawks - 3
Vegas Golden Knights - 4 (OT)Just like last game, Vegas managed to open the scoring. Midway through the first, Paul Stastny would finished off a tic-tac-toe play between him, Marchessault, and Smith. Tomas Nosek extended the lead five minutes later, snapping it over Crawford's blocker. Chicago would catch a break in the second, as a mix up at the Vegas bench allowed the Blackhawks to transition to offence. Calvin de Haan would get a few shot attempts, but it was Kirby Dach who would put home the rebound, putting Chicago on the board. The game would be tied moments later, as Dominic Kubalik scored on the powerplay. Mark Stone would put Vegas back in the lad late in the period, as he swatted in a rebound. The period would end tied though, as Chicago had a tic-tac-toe goal of their own. Dylan Strome would be the finisher, having no issue in redirecting Patrick Kane's pass into the net. Neither team would score in the third period, meaning overtime was needed. 12 minutes into the extra period, Stastny would find an open Smith in the slot, who wasted no time redirecting in the winning goal.
Vegas Golden Knights - 2
Chicago Blackhawks - 1
Once again, it was Vegas getting the opening goal. A streaking William Karlsson took a pass from Stone and proceeded to beat Crawford with a backhand shot. The game would stay 1-0 for a while, as any change wither team got was turned aside by Crawford and Marc-Andre Fleury. The Golden Knights would break through again late in the second. Alex Tuch's shot would get stopped by Crawford, but a trailing Patrick Brown would jump on the rebound, whacking the loose puck into the yawning cage. Despite their chances, Chicago would only manage to beat Fleury once. A shot from Olli Maatta would sneak under Fleury's arm and trickle into the net. The Golden Knight hung on to win 2-1, pushing the Blackhawks to the brink of elimination.
Vegas Golden Knights - 1
Chicago Blackhawks - 3
Facing elimination, Chicago would weather an early storm by Vegas before managing an attack of their own. Drake Caggiula would get things rolling for the Blackhawks, as he one-timed a pass from Maatta past Lehner. Chicago would extend the lead later in the period, as Matt Highmore banked a shot from the corner off Lehner's mask and into the net. It didn't take Vegas long to respond though. Seconds later, a Theodore point shot would see its way through a screen and past Crawford to close the gap. Vegas would continue to pressure, hoping the tie the game. Crawford had other ideas, as the Chicago netminder would stop everything thrown at him the rest of the way. Alex Debrincat would add an empty netter, as the Chicago Blackhawks win extended the series.
Chicago Blackhawks - 3
Vegas Golden Knights - 4Game 5 looked to be a continuation of Game 4, with the Golden Knights pressing for a goal but Crawford denying them. Halfway through the period, it would be the Blackhawks who open the scoring, as Jonathan Toews whacked home a rebound. The lead would be extended late in the period, as a spin move by Connor Murphy led to the Erie Otter connection (Strome and Debrincat) finishing off the play to make it a 2-0 game. The period would not end that way though, as a point shot from Brayden McNabb would be deflected right to Max Pacioretty, who made no mistake in putting the puck into the net. It didn't take long in the second for Vegas to tie it, as Stone would redirect Karlsson's pass past a flailing Crawford. Moments later, Chicago would regain the lead. Kane would find himself 1-on-1 with Lehner, and would deke out the Vegas goalie to make it 3-2. The Golden Knights weren't down for long though, as a powerplay moments later resulted in an Alec Martinez blast finding the back of the net to tie the game at 3-3. Vegas would finally take the lead early in the third. Alex Tuch managed to power his way through to the net, and while his initial shot was stopped, he got enough of the rebound to cause the puck to slide past the goal line. Tuch looked to have an insurance goal later in the period, but it was called back due to goalie interference. Chicago tried, but could not find an equalizer. The Vegas Golden Knights hung on to win the game, and became the first team to move on to the second round.
Three Thoughts on the Series
- Lehner looks like a really good pickup for the Golden Knights. The Blackhawks could use a goalie like him.
- Joking aside, credit to the Blackhawks for making this series closer than it should have been.
- Pete Deboer? More like Pete DebeerScore/status/1296967319990734850?s=20.
Picture of the Series
"Do I tell my agent to release the photo now? No, wait until this round is over"
Highlight of the Series
This Mark Stone goal seemed pretty good (if only for Crawford's attempt to save it).
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