Golden Knights Defeat Blackhawks in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs

The Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 2 of the First Round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Golden Knights also won Game 1 with a score of 4-1. Here is the recap of Game 2 between the Golden Knights and Blackhawks.

Scratches

Chicago: Adam Boqvist, Dylan Sikura, Kevin Lankinen, Nick Seeler, Nicolas Beaudin, Brandon Hagel, Collin Delia, Philipp Kurashev, Alec Regula, John Quenneville, MacKenzie Entwistle

Vegas: Max Pacioretty, Jon Merrill, Deryk Engelland, Peyton Krebs, Patrick Brown, Keegan Kolesar, Gage Quinney, Dylan Coghlan, Nicolas Hague, Oscar Dansk, Reid Duke

1st Period

Both teams started out strong getting scoring chances on each end. However, it would be Golden Knights forward Paul Stastny that got the game’s first goal 10:44 into the period. The Golden Knights would build more momentum from Stastny’s goal to get another one in the period. Golden Knights forward Tomas Nosek scored 4:51 later to extend the lead to two. Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane had a chance to get the game closer but he hit yet another post in this series.

Vegas went into the second period with a 2-0 lead.

2nd Period

To this point, the Golden Knights were still the dominant team in this series. That changed during this period as the Blackhawks scored three goals. The Golden Knights also got a goal but it was a fortunate one for them considering how they played in this period. Blackhawks forwards Kirby Dach and Dominik Kubalik scored the first two goals of the period to tie the game at two. But, then Golden Knights forward Mark Stone got a fortunate bounce and scored to retake the Knights’ one goal lead. However, that lead didn’t last long as Kane set up a pass to forward Dylan Strome in the final 20 seconds of the period to once again tie the game. The Blackhawks now made this series an interesting one in just this one period alone.

The game was tied at three heading into the third period.

3rd Period

No goals were scored but the Golden Knights definitely got back to their game in this period. They outshot the Blackhawks 16-6 during this period and were able to sustain offensive pressure. Stone had a chance to win the game but his shot was saved by Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford.

The game was still tied at three heading into overtime.

Overtime

This is the second overtime for the Golden Knights this postseason and the Blackhawks’ first. The Golden Knights went to overtime against the Colorado Avalanche for the top seed in the Western Conference. The Blackhawks had a chance to win the game early in overtime from Strome but his shot rang off the crossbar. Despite the close call, the Golden Knights were in full control of this period getting three different chances to win the game. Those chances came from Alex Tuch, Nick Cousins and Brayden McNabb of the Golden Knights. However, the Golden Knights were able to get an almost complete line change and forward Reilly Smith buried the overtime game winner with 12:47 left.

Vegas won the game 4-3 in overtime and extended their series lead 2-0.

Three Stars of the Game

Third Star: Patrick Kane (3 assists)

Second Star: Jonathan Marchessault (2 assists)

First Star: Reilly Smith (1 goal, 1 assist)

Vegas still continues to have their second period struggles allowing Chicago to make a comeback and tie the game twice. One of the main reasons for this struggle is sustaining a solid defensive game plan. If the Golden Knights can maintain a full 60 minute game with good defense, they should have no problem winning Game 4. However, they’re still an offensive threat and could score at will. It’s just a matter of where and when they do. 

The big question at this point is if the Golden Knights will keep Robin Lehner in net or will they rotate with Marc-Andre Fleury. They have a back-to-back this weekend for Games 3 and 4.

On the other hand, the Blackhawks played a much better game in Game 2. They were able to beat the Golden Knights offensively in the second period and capitalized on their opportunities. However, their defense continues to be a struggle as the Golden Knights find different ways to get around them. The Blackhawks need to find a way to slow down the Golden Knights in order to have solid momentum on their side.

Game 4 of the Golden Knights-Blackhawks series is on Aug. 15 at 8:00 pm EST.