Okay, let me admit something. I, like many others, completely misread the Golden Knights and the Minnesota Wild. I know, it's tough to admit when you misread something. But that's where we stand with the Vegas Golden Knights.
The series is tied, a far cry from the expected five-game romp. Suddenly, Kirill Kaprizov and Matt Boldy have an iron grip, along with an impressive forecheck. Mix in a little Filip Gustavsson for good measure and everything has been turned upside down.
Nobody saw this coming. That includes the experts at CBS Sports, ESPN, and even here. Again, it's never easy admitting when something doesn't go the way you'd expect it to. That means swallowing your pride and taking it on the chin. I know, it's tough to admit this.
Yet, here we are. Now, we have a technical "best-of-three" series on our hands. It's time to build on the momentum of the Ivan Barbashev goal and take the series back. No excuses. No looking back. No playing down to the competition, either.
The series itself had some unexpected things happen. Aside from a wild-card team making a charge at the second round, it's as the kids say, "caused a glitch in the matrix." Here are three things that surprised hockey fans everywhere, even in Las Vegas.
1.) The Golden Knights top line being outplayed by the Minnesota Wild top line
It's not that surprising to see Kirill Kaprizov (25 goals and 31 assists in 41 games this season) and Matt Boldy (27 goals and 46 assists) give the Vegas Golden Knights problems. However, the absence of Jack Eichel (one assist this series) and Mark Stone (one assist) has been eye-opening.
A team that expected their top guys to contribute has gotten next to nothing, leaving Vegas in a predicament. The good news is the blue line has been decent offensively, led by Alex Pietrangelo (one goal and two assists) and Noah Hanifin (one goal and two assists). However, part of the tie series stems from the top guys not showing up. Could it be 4 Nations fatigue?
2.) It would take Brayden McNabb and Shea Theodore until Game 4 to turn things around
Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb haven't had the best series for the Golden Knights. Theodore has five giveaways in his last three games while McNabb had seven in his last four. McNabb has also taken a couple of costly penalties in the series.
Then comes Game 4, where the two "Misfits" lead a charge to even things up. Theodore scores a power play goal to break the scoreless tie. McNabb gets an assist. Nobody expected either defenseman to struggle to start the series. However, they came through at the right time, getting the Golden Knights a much-needed win. Now, it's time to build off that momentum and lead the team to victory.
3.) The Minnesota Wild would cause problems for the Vegas Golden Knights
Part of why the Minnesota Wild have been tough this series has been because of an impressive forecheck. They've clogged the neutral zone and cranked up their aggressive play, leaving stars like Kaprizov and Boldy to pounce on numerous scoring opportunities.
This has caused countless problems for Vegas, particularly Adin Hill. He's carried the burden of fending off oncoming rushes and sudden turnovers, leaving him on his heels. The good news is that the other Western Conference teams (sans Colorado) don't carry a hard forecheck like Minnesota does. The tricky part is figuring out this unit.