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Vegas Golden Knights grind it out in Game 3 to move to within one of a sweep

By Andrew Steele-Davis |
Patrick Brown #38 and the Vegas Golden Knights celebrate his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at 15:23 of the second period in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Patrick Brown #38 and the Vegas Golden Knights celebrate his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at 15:23 of the second period in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
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Patrick Brown #38 and the Vegas Golden Knights celebrate his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at 15:23 of the second period in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Patrick Brown #38 and the Vegas Golden Knights celebrate his goal against the Chicago Blackhawks at 15:23 of the second period in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

It wasn’t pretty but the Vegas Golden Knights did what they had to in Game 3 in order to take a 3-0 series lead.

A solid team effort and big plays on special teams were the special ingredients in the Vegas Golden Knights’ 2-1 win against the Blackhawks in Game 3 on Saturday.

Mark-Andre Fleury got the start in goal and was sensational, stopping 26 of 27 shots to claim his 80th win in the postseason.

William Karlsson got Vegas on the board early with a shorthanded goal, before Patrick Brown made it a two-goal game in the second period.

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Chicago were playing desperate hockey and they did set up a nervy finish when Olli Maatta lit the lamp in the third.

However, Fleury withstood everything else that was thrown at him to help give the Golden Knights a huge victory in Game 3 and move them to within one of a series sweep.

Let’s break the game down period-by-period…

First Period

Max Pacioretty came back into the lineup for Game 3, although both Paul Stastny and Tomas Nosek were ruled “Unfit to Play” with Patrick Brown replacing Nosek in the lineup.

Marc-Andre Fleury got his first start of the series.

Chicago got an early power play but they couldn’t take advantage and it was the Golden Knights who struck first.

Still on the penalty kill, Mark Stone forced a turnover and then dished the puck to William Karlsson, who rushed in before going upstairs to beat Corey Crawford on the backhand.

Fleury made a fantastic save to keep out a one-timer from Alex DeBrincat, and the future Hall of Famer made a habit of turning away one-timers.

Patrick Kane then rang one off the post as the Blackhawks put together their best period of the series, but they just couldn’t find a way to beat Fleury.

Second Period

Corey Crawford made a heck of a glove save on Nate Schmidt‘s one-timer, while Marc-Andre Fleury was still doing his thing.

And, while Chicago was throwing everything they had at Fleury, the Golden Knights hit them with a sucker-punch.

Alex Tuch went in on the rush, played a game of tic-tac-toe with Nate Schmidt before firing a shot at Crawford, and Patrick Brown was on the doorstep to knock home the rebound.

Vegas was playing an undisciplined game, taking as many penalties in Games 3 through the first two periods then they had in Games 1 and 2 alone.

Third Period

Marc-Andre Fleury made another unreal save to slide across to rob Jonathan Toews at the backdoor.

Vegas was playing sloppy defense but Fleury was doing everything within his power to stand on his head and keep out the Blackhawks.

Chicago did get on the board, however, with Olli Maatta ripping a shot under the arm of Fleury from inside the circle.

It took until 9:51 for the Golden Knights to record their first shot of the period, while Fleury was standing firm even with his team wilting.

But Fleury did enough to get the win in Game 3 and help give the Golden Knights a 3-0 series lead, with Game 4 slated for Sunday.

Let’s go over some notes and stats…

Max Pacioretty #67 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates against Adam Boqvist #27 of the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Max Pacioretty #67 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates against Adam Boqvist #27 of the Chicago Blackhawks during the third period in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

Notes and Stats

Here are some key stats from the game:

  • SOG – VGK: 26 – CHI: 27
  • FO% – VGK: 59% – CHI: 42%
  • PP – VGK: 0/3 – CHI: 0/4
  • PIM – VGK: 8 – CHI: 6
  • HITS – VGK: 32 – CHI: 28
  • BLKS – VGK: 15 – CHI: 17
  • GVA – VGK: 12 – CHI: 14

Here was the Official Scoring Summary from Game 3:

  • William Karlsson (2) – SHG – Stone (4) – 4:12 / 1st
  • Patrick Brown (1) – Tuch (1), Schmidt (3) – 15:23 / 2nd
  • Olli Maatta (3) – Caggiula (1), Kane (7) – 6:21 / 3rd
The Vegas Golden Knights celebrate a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
The Vegas Golden Knights celebrate a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game Three of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

Let’s go over some notes from Game 3:

  • The Vegas Golden Knights now lead 3-0 in the series and they could complete a sweep should they beat the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 on Sunday.
  • Marc-Andre Fleury got his first start of this series and he was sensational, stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced and coming up huge when his team needed him the most.
  • With his win Fleury is now tied with Ken Dryden for 80 postseason seasons and is now eight behind Ed Belfour and Billy Smith for 4th all time.
  • This wasn’t a perfect game from the Golden Knights who were slopping in the neutral zone, while they were undisciplined after taking as many penalties through the first two periods of Game 3 as they did in Games 1 & 2.
  • Vegas can’t afford to be that sloppy in Game 4 given that Chicago will be a desperate hockey team scrapping for their postseason lives.
  • Max Pacioretty returned after missing Game 2 and was a -1 rating in 15:16 of ice time in Game 3.
  • Both Paul Stastny and Tomas Nosek were declared “Unfit to Play” for Game 3, although Stastny is considered an option for Game 4.
  • Patrick Brown, who replaced Nosek in the lineup, has played in two games for Vegas this year and he’s scored in both after knocking home a rebound past Corey Crawford. Talk about next man up.
  • William Karlsson has been busy in the shots department this series but hadn’t lit the lamp until Game 3, when he moved to his backhand to beat Corey Crawford with a shorthanded goal.
  • Mark Stone (4), Alex Tuch (1) and Nate Schmidt (3) all picked up assists in this game.
  • Expect Robin Lehner to get the start in Game 4 with Vegas Head Coach Peter DeBoer confirming that both goalies would go in this back-to-back.
  • Vegas was outshot in this game but they did fare better in the faceoff circle finally (59%-42%), while they outhit the Blackhawks by a margin of 32-28.
  • However, the Golden Knights went 0-3 on the power play and they have yet to score on the man advantage in this series. That will have to change at some point.
  • Brayden McNabb led all Vegas Golden Knights skaters with 22:16 of total ice time.
  • The Official Three Stars of the Game were: 1. Marc-Andre Fleury 2. Patrick Brown 3. Corey Crawford.

What’s Next

The Vegas Golden Knights could sweep this series if they beat the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 4 on Sunday (3:30 p.m. PT).

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It won’t be easy, though, given that the Chicago Blackhawks will be scrapping for lives, but the Golden Knights would give themselves some rest if they are able to finish the job later today.

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