The Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4 in the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Golden Knights have won the previous three games of this series. Here is a recap of Game 4 between the Blackhawks and Golden Knights.
Scratches
Chicago: Lucas Carlsson, Dylan Sikura, Kevin Lankinen, Nick Seeler, Nicolas Beaudin, Brandon Hagel, Collin Delia, Philipp Kurashev, Alec Regula, John Quenneville, MacKenzie Entwistle
Vegas: Paul Stastny, Jon Merrill, Deryk Engelland, Peyton Krebs, Tomas Nosek, Keegan Kolesar, Gage Quinney, Dylan Coghlan, Nicolas Hague, Oscar Dansk, Reid Duke
1st Period
The Blackhawks were in a dire situation facing elimination in this game. However, they scored two goals from forwards Drake Caggiula and Matthew Highmore in the first four minutes of the game. But, the Golden Knights responded back and cut the lead down to one. Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore scored the Golden Knights goal 18 seconds after Highmore’s goal. The Golden Knights also finished the period outshooting the Blackhawks 20-8. They also prevented the Blackhawks from getting another shot on goal since their second goal.
Chicago went into the second period with the lead 2-1.
2nd Period
The Golden Knights continued to dominate on the offensive end outshooting the Blackhawks 16-7 but still couldn’t find a goal. One of the reasons why the Blackhawks kept their one goal lead is the amount of shots they were able to block. But, the biggest reason the Blackhawks still had their lead was because of goaltender Corey Crawford. Crawford stopped all 16 Golden Knights shots from getting to the back of the net. It seemed like the Golden Knights were doing everything right but Crawford was there to stop every shot.
Chicago went into the third period with the same score.
3rd Period
Again, the Golden Knights were finding scoring chances from up high and down low. But, the defense of the Blackhawks along with Crawford were able to stop second and third opportunities from the Golden Knights. The Golden Knights again outshot the Blackhawks 13-10 especially when the game was coming down to the final minutes. However, the Blackhawks would score with just 11 seconds left in the game to seal the game. Blackhawks forward Alex DeBrincat finally got his first postseason goal in his career scoring into an empty net.
Chicago won the game 3-1 but still trail the series 3-1.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi2GCdwf3TE]
Three Stars of the Game
Third Star: Shea Theodore (1 goal)
Second Star: Matthew Highmore (1 goal)
First Star: Corey Crawford (48 saves)
Vegas also suffered its first loss since March 6 to the Winnipeg Jets. This is also their first loss since arriving in the bubble. They had won their last six games prior to the start of Game 4. Their first three wins came in the round robin and their last three wins came from the first three games in this series.
Overview
Chicago Blackhawks
Oh how this game played out for Chicago. It was really a tale of three games in a sense. It just seemed like Chicago was getting better each game during this series. This is something that Vegas has to be aware of now that Chicago sees to live another game.Â
Also, Crawford out-performed himself from last game making this game his best game this series by far. He saved 48 of 49 Vegas shots. This may have been his best game in his career. He really was unstoppable and led this team from being eliminated in Game 4. If Crawford can pull off this same kind of performance in Game 5, this series could go to a Game 6.
Vegas Golden Knights
On the other hand, Vegas had seemed to do what they do best. And, that’s to control the game offensively and play hard checking defense. Vegas also had 96 shot attempts to Chicago’s 38 during this game. However, they weren’t able to solve Crawford since Theodore’s goal in the first period.Â
Vegas had many chances to tie the game but there wasn’t enough traffic in front of Crawford. They also kept trying to shoot high shots instead of low shots since Crawford can cover the bottom part of the goal. If Vegas can put on the performance they put on in this game and make some adjustments prior to their next game, they should have no problem winning Game 5 and move on to the second round.
Game 5 of the Blackhawks-Golden Knights series is on Aug. 18 at 10:30 p.m. EST.