Vegas Golden Knights Top Winnipeg Jets In Game Two And Tie Up Series

Lineup changes provided a spark for the Vegas Golden Knights in game two of the Western Conference Finals.

As bad as the first eight minutes went for the Vegas Golden Knights in game one, they weren’t too bad in the last 52 minutes. The expansion franchise obviously couldn’t repeat that type of first period in game two. The team needed to come out and play with some urgency.

Golden Knights Head Coach Gerard Gallant made some lineup changes in game two when they subbed in Tomas Tatar in for David Perron and Tomas Nosek for Oscar Lindberg. Meanwhile, the Winnipeg Jets kept their same lineup from game one. Marc-Andre Fleury and Connor Hellebuyck naturally took their respective creases for the start of this one.

There were a few anxious moments as the Jets nearly came close to scoring within the first two minutes. However, the Golden Knights defense and Fleury weathered the storm and held the Jets at bay. Anytime when you’re the road team in Winnipeg, and you survive the first ten minutes, that’s a win in itself.

Excellent puck movement from the Golden Knights third line led to the first goal of the game. Ryan Carpenter started the sequence and battled along the wall and found Shea Theodore for the shot. Instead, Theodore passes up the opportunity to shoot with a beautiful feed to Tatar. Tatar missed on the first chance, but earned a second chance and stuffed the puck past Hellebuyck and in the back of the net.

Tatar’s first goal of the playoffs could go a long way if he starts to get on a roll. The celebration from the Ilava, Czechoslovakia native spoke volumes after not playing for two weeks. You could clearly see he was dying to get back in the lineup after a long layoff.

Vegas really turned on the pressure as Reilly Smith forced a turnover in the neutral zone during a horrible line change by Winnipeg. Jonathan Marchessault picked the puck up at the Jets blue line and sprinted on the breakaway and beat Hellebuyck five-hole. His fifth goal of the playoffs gave Vegas a 2-0 lead.

Just seconds after the goal from Marchessault, Erik Haula went on the breakaway and also beat Hellebuyck, but he couldn’t overcome the dreaded post. The Jets survived the first period being down by two when it could’ve easily been 3-0. Vegas outshot Winnipeg 13-11 in the first period.

In the second period, the Golden Knights came out strong once again. Blake Wheeler received a holding minor very early into the middle frame. The Golden Knights went to work and had a strong power play and shot the puck a ton but they couldn’t convert thanks to the goaltending of Hellebuyck.

Jets started to gain traction from an Andrew Copp shot from the slot that hit off the post. They maintained pressure all the way through the second period, and it paid off towards the end. Brayden McNabb took a bad penalty by tripping Wheeler with 2.7 seconds left in the second.

The second period was a mixed bag for both teams. Winnipeg outshot Vegas 8-7, but the score remained 2-0 going into the final frame. The penalty by McNabb gave the Jets an opportunity to get back in the game.

In the third period, the Jets whiffed on a chance to get the building back in it with just one shot on the McNabb minor. However, the Jets power play got a second chance thanks to a Luca Sbisa tripping penalty. The Golden Knights killed most of it, but the Jets pushed through and made it a one-goal game.

Due to the penalty, Tyler Myers bull-rushed up the ice with no one around and found an open Kyle Connor who shot the puck past Fleury and into the back of the net. The goal sent the building into a frenzy as the Jets could smell blood in the water. But that wasn’t the case as Vegas struck back with one of their own just 1:28 after the Jets goal.

Smith went on a two on one rush and waited for Marchessault to get back in the play for a scoring chance. He threaded the needle to Marchessault as he went backhand on Hellebuyck and quieted the home crowd in Winnipeg. The Cap-Rouge, Quebec native was absolutely relentless in this one and shot the puck a ton in game two.

The Golden Knights stifled the Jets in their tracks and closed out the game as time expired. Vegas ties the series against Winnipeg with the series shifting back to T-Mobile Arena. The fans in Las Vegas will be rocking as the Golden Knights have home ice in their favor.

Nate Schmidt provided shutdown defense and made great plays in the offensive zone as well. But the way he shut down two bigger players in Mark Scheifele and Wheeler was fantastic. Furthermore, his work ethic defines everything about what the Vegas Golden Knights have been all year long.

Vegas Hockey Knight’s Three Stars

3rd Star) Nate Schmidt- Two shots, two blocked shots and +1 rating in 23:17 TOI.

2nd Star) Marc-Andre Fleury- 30 saves on 31 shots in game two victory.

1st Star) Jonathan Marchessault- Two goals, eight shots, and +2 rating in 19:13 TOI.

Next: Vegas Golden Knights Pondering Lineup Changes Ahead Of Game Two

All in all, great effort from the Vegas Golden Knights on the road. Now they fly back to Las Vegas with a chance to lead the series for the first time. Catch puck drop at 6 PM PT on NBC Sports Network.