Jack Eichel summed up Friday's Game 3 against the Utah Mammoth perfectly. He talked about how the Vegas Golden Knights did everything right compared to Game 2, yet they lost. There were more positives than negatives regarding Friday's game, even in a 4-2 loss to the Mammoth.
"I thought we played a good game. It was a bit of a weird one. We didn't give up a ton. There were a lot of positives from what we did and now we look forward to the next one and find a way to win that one."Jack Eichel
The Golden Knights watched Eichel and Nic Dowd score goals, while the Mammoth got goals from Lawson Crouse (twice!), Mackenzie Weegar, and Dylan Guenther. But the score was far more unusual than initially thought. That starts with the shot total, where the Golden Knights outshot the Mammoth, 32-12.
But there's much more to the surface than people realize. Like, where has the bite gone in the special teams? The Golden Knights allowed a power play goal against Utah on Friday, for crying out loud. Let's plug our noses like we're about to eat a smelly batch of Brussels sprouts and dissect this game, eh?
Where has the Vegas Golden Knights power play gone?
It's like watching John Travolta in Pulp Fiction, as he stands around the room wondering where everyone went. The Vegas Golden Knights power play went AWOL in Game 3, missing on all four opportunities. As for the Mammoth? Well, they scored on just the one.
It was an endless array of passes and deflected pucks, leading to an endless array of Utah exits. In turn, the Golden Knights couldn't find an answer for the net, being left cold in the process.
Sure, some people will say that Karel Vejmelka played an incredible game on Friday. That part is certainly true, especially after enduring a brutal onslaught of shots from the Golden Knights. However, the power play can't go cold in this series. If it does, the Golden Knights are golfing early.
Karel Vejmelka stays on his A-Game for the Utah Mammoth on Friday
Speaking of Vejmelka, the Golden Knights had a better night of offensive zone time and getting pucks on the net. They had 32 shots on goal, compared to Utah only mustering 12. The problem? Vegas only got two goals while Utah got four.
While Hart was getting beat up at the eyes in shots, the Czech goaltender didn't an excellent job of reading shots and making the necessary moves. In turn, it kept the dam from breaking in Salt Lake City as the Mammoth secured their first home win in franchise history.
If the Golden Knights can maintain that pressure and keep Utah at bay, that'll bode well for their Game 4 chances. As Eichel put it, Friday's game was a weird one, with the shot totals and power play chances skewing in Vegas's favor. Sometimes, you run into an incredible goaltender that steals the game from you.
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