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It isn’t over yet as Vegas Golden Knights drop Game 4 to Blackhawks

By Andrew Steele-Davis |
Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks watches a shot get past Robin Lehner #90 of the Vegas Golden Knights at 4:08 of the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks watches a shot get past Robin Lehner #90 of the Vegas Golden Knights at 4:08 of the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
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Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks watches a shot get past Robin Lehner #90 of the Vegas Golden Knights at 4:08 of the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
Patrick Kane #88 of the Chicago Blackhawks watches a shot get past Robin Lehner #90 of the Vegas Golden Knights at 4:08 of the first period in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

It just wasn’t to be for the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 4.

Corey Crawford stopped 48 of the 49 shots he faced to help the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 and force a Game 5.

It was just one of those days where the Golden Knights came up against a hot goalie in Crawford, who hopped into the time machine and went back to the Crawford that was a cornerstone of Chicago’s Stanley Cup dynasty.

Drake Caggiula got the Blackhawks on the board early before Matthew Highmore made it a two-goal game at 13:40 in the first period.

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Shea Theodore did get Vegas back in the game in the first after unleashing a rocket of a one-timer from the point.

However, Crawford was unstoppable from that point on and Alex DeBrincat added an empty-netter late in the third period to prevent the Golden Knights from executing a sweep.

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

First Period

As was expected given their win-or-go-home situation, the Chicago Blackhawks came out fighting and they drew blood early.

With 4:08 played in the first period, Olli Maatta got the puck off the boards before feeding a dish to Drake Caggiula, who was left alone in front of the net and the forward blasted a one-timer past Robin Lehner.

It got worst for the Golden Knights at 13:40 after Matthew Highmore scored from just behind the goal line.

Vegas did respond, though, as Shea Theodore took a dish from Alec Martinez before unleashing a bomb of a one-timer from the point to make it a one-goal game.

Second Period

Vegas had outshot Chicago by a margin of 36-15 after the opening two periods, but they were coming up against an unstoppable force in Corey Crawford.

Robin Lehner was also doing his bit too, making a good save on Patrick Kane after shutting the door.

Third Period

Lehner made a big blocker save to deny Brandon Saad early in the final frame, but it was the Corey Crawford show as he continued to stand on his head.

Crawford made 13 saves alone in the third period, and he was the big reason why the Hawks never really looked back in the third period.

And, with the clock running out, Alex DeBrincat stole the puck in his own zone before charging down ice and scoring into an empty-net to force a Game 5 on Tuesday.

Let’s go through some stats and the Three Stars of the Game…

David Kampf #64 of the Chicago Blackhawks and Brayden McNabb #3 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates in warm-ups prior to Game Four of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
David Kampf #64 of the Chicago Blackhawks and Brayden McNabb #3 of the Vegas Golden Knights skates in warm-ups prior to Game Four of the Western Conference First Round. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

Notes & Three Stars

Here are some key stats from Game 4…

  • SOG – VGK: 49 – CHI: 25
  • FO% – VGK: 52% – CHI: 48%
  • PP – VGK: 0/3 – CHI: 0/3
  • PIM – VGK: 6 – CHI: 6
  • HITS – VGK: 40 – CHI: 26
  • BLKS – VGK: 12 – CHI: 32
  • GVA – VGK: 13 – CHI: 13

Here was the Official Scoring Summary from Game 4:

  • Drake Caggiula (1) – Maatta (3), Dach (5) – 4:08 / 1st
  • Matthew Highmore (3) – Keith (5) – 13:40 / 1st
  • Shea Theodore (4) – Martinez (3), Reaves (4) – 13:58 / 1st
  • Alex DeBrincat (1) – Murphy (3) – 19:49 / 3rd
The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate a 3-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images)
The Chicago Blackhawks celebrate a 3-1 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game Four of the Western Conference First Round during the 2020 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Photo by Jeff Vinnick/Getty Images) /

Three Stars of the Game

  1. Corey Crawford is making history. Kind of. As our loyal readers will know, we don’t normally include opponents in our Three Stars of the Game section. However, given what unfolded in Game 4, we’re going to make an exception. Crawford was absolutely sensational on Sunday, stopping 48 of the 49 shots fired at him and he looked like the Corey Crawford of old, the Corey Crawford that helped lead the Blackhawks to three Stanley Cups. If Crawford can stay hot then Chicago has a chance at extending this series to a Game 6.
  2. Shea Theodore has been one of the Golden Knights’ best players in the Bubble, alongside Reilly Smith. And in a game when not much went Vegas’ way, Theodore impressed once again. The defenseman scored his team’s only goal of the game after unleashing an absolute bomb of a one-timer from the point, while he logged 22:14 minutes of total ice time.
  3. Robin Lehner was overshadowed by Corey Crawford in this game, and rightly so, but he was still very good for the Golden Knights. He stopped 22 of 24 shots and was big in the second and third periods to keep Vegas in the game until the bitter end. Lehner appears to be the new undisputed starter under Head Coach Peter DeBoer and he’s certainly been impressive in Edmonton so far.

What’s Next

The Vegas Golden Knights and the Chicago Blackhawks will now contest a Game 5, which will take place on Tuesday.

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It will give the Golden Knights a second chance to close this series, and they will hope that Corey Crawford isn’t as hot as he was in Game 4.

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