Key 3 – Keep Kane quiet
We mentioned this in the first slide but Patrick Kane has struggled for the Blackhawks after the restart so far.
He had just one goal and four points in the Best-of-Five Qualifying Round against the Edmonton Oilers, while he was held without a point in Game 1 against the Golden Knights.
Kane didn’t look himself in Game 1 and missed the net as well as mishandling a few passes on occasion.
However, he did hit the post and you just know that a player of that quality won’t stay quiet for long.
No chance at all.
After all, Kane was on fire during the regular season with 33 goals and 51 assists for 84 points in 70 games, while the three-time Stanley Cup Champion recorded over 100 points the year before.
So the Golden Knights need to be aware of the fact that Kane will eventually wake up and, when he goes, the Blackhawks go too.
It is very possible that Kane has a huge bounce back game in Game 2 and, as a result, Vegas will need to pay extra attention to the veteran.
They will need to check hard and take away any open ice from Kane, or risk losing Game 2 because of a huge performance from a superstar.