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Vegas Golden Knights put in solid effort to take Game 1 over Blackhawks

By Andrew Steele-Davis

Reilly Smith #19 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks with teammates during the third period in Game One of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Reilly Smith #19 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks with teammates during the third period in Game One of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /
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Reilly Smith #19 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks with teammates on the bench during the third period in Game One of the Western Conference First Round.
Reilly Smith #19 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates a goal against the Chicago Blackhawks with teammates on the bench during the third period in Game One of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Reilly Smith was great again and finished with a three-point night and a +3 rating in 13:29 minutes of total ice time. He claimed a primary helper on Shea Theodore’s goal in the second period before finishing off the Blackhawks in the third period with two goals, including a sublime effort on the backhand to beat Corey Crawford.
  2. Jonathan Marchessault was on a dominant second-line with Paul Stastny and Reilly Smith, a line that absolutely dominated against the Chicago Blackhawks. They combined for five points and 11 shots on goal, with Marchessault grabbing the primary and only assist on both of Smith’s goals, including a gorgeous saucer pass for his teammate’s second goal.
  3. Robin Lehner was nearly undone by his pesky left skate blade but, other than that, he was solid. Given the nod to start in Game 1 over face of the franchise Marc-Andre Fleury, Lehner stopped 19 of the 20 shots he faced and he was big when he was needed. It helped that the Knights limited the Blackhawks offensively, but Lehner offered a calming presence and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he starts in Game 2.

What’s Next

Game 2 is slated for Thursday (puck drops at 5:30 p.m. ET) and the Vegas Golden Knights will be looking for more of the same in order to take a 2-0 series lead.

Next. Why Oilers winning the Lottery would be bad. dark

We’ll have plenty of buildup for you plus further insight from the Golden Knights’ victory in Game 1.

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