In the brief history of the Vegas Golden Knights, they have never been down 0-2 in a playoff series. That is, until Leon Draisaitl slid a Connor McDavid pass in overtime past a diving Adin Hill for a 5-4 Edmonton win Thursday night. This was a better game for Vegas compared to Game 1, but one with defensive lapses (especially in the second) that have badly hurt this team in the playoffs.
Is there hope that things will get better in this series for the Golden Knights? Sure. But it’s much less bright than it was after Tuesday night. Here are my three takeaways on a crushing Game 2 in the Fortress.
A familiarly rough OT for Vegas in heartbreaking loss
It was nice to feel some measure of good juju in the extra frame, given how lucky and flowing the previous two OT games this postseason have gone for the Golden Knights. However, we saw something closer to what we saw in the regular season on Thursday: Some offense, solid goaltending, and the slightest defensive break that turns into a loss. The difference came from a boneheaded play (more on that later) that robbed any possible momentum Vegas could turn into a win.
As great as Hill was in that period, the rest of the game, he was about as hard to pin down as a hummingbird. In some spots, he looked great. Others--particularly midway through the game--he looked like a mix of leaky and snake bitten, which I never knew was possible until Thursday night. If this team wants to play by this time next week, that cannot happen again.
Two physical plays, two different outcomes in that overtime
Sticking toward the goings-on of overtime (because there was oh so plenty), there were two instances that are probably gonna occupy a lot of hockey talk from here to Saturday night. The first was Nicolas Roy’s indefensibly stupid cross-check of Trent Fredric early in OT, creating the five minute power play that (if not for Hill) would’ve ended the game then and there. It’ll be a slice of good fortune if Roy isn’t suspended for Game 3.
Then there’s the hot Viktor Arvidsson laid on Brayden McNabb minutes before Draisaitl’s game-winner. Somehow, as he clutched his wrist on the way to the dressing room, that didn’t merit a penalty. Now a top line defenseman is (I think likely) gone for the rest of the series, barring some good news from the trainer in the next 24+ hours.
Career night for Victor Olofsson overshadowed by…[points at the other takes]
Heading into Game 2, six of the last seven Golden Knights goals in the postseason were scored by either Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, or William Karlsson. On Thursday night, it was Victor Olofsson who was the offensive star for Vegas, scoring his first two career playoff goals on the power play.
It’s a fitting reward for someone who’s been the top shooter through the first couple games of this series. Given Pavel Dorofeyev’s continued exit and Nicolas Roy’s (likely) exit, he’s gonna have to keep up that pace as the series moves north to Edmonton.
Next on the Marquee:
It’s Game 3 on Saturday night at 6 P.M. in Edmonton. It's an atmosphere that is going to be nigh-on deafening and brimming with a ton of confidence, sans (likely) Roy and (all but likely) McNabb. It’s a hole this team could’ve avoided with better goaltending. But it’s one that the Golden Knights deal with. How they deal with Game 3 will determine how long this playoff ride continues. Until then…