Corey Crawford, take a bow. The Chicago Blackhawks goaltender, a former Stanley Cup Champion at that, has found his game. Crawford or Crow as affectionately nicknamed, made 48 saves on 49 shots to beat the Vegas Golden Knights and prolong an inevitable elimination. Many of the Blackhawks have been here before and a sweep would have been shocking.
Chicago's roster is simply too star-studded to go down without a fight. Led by Captain Jonathan Toews, the Hawks have the talent and experience to reel off a few playoff wins. While the Golden Knights are the better, deeper team, a loss to the Blackhawks isn't egregious. Experienced guys like Patrick Kane, Brandon Saad, and Duncan Keith are helping the talented youth - namely Kirby Dach, Alex Debrincat, and Dominik Kubalik - flourish.
In order for the Golden Knights to lose, Crawford had to be stellar and Robin Lehner needed to headbutt a puck into his own goal. The Blackhawks got on the board early with great play below the goal line from Kirby Dach and Olli Maata. They'd never look back. This game is the definition of an anomaly and Game Five could have been a sure VGK victory, if it weren't for the closing seconds of this game.
Vegas' top-line left winger, Max Pacioretty, may have given the Blackhawks some extra motivation for Game Five on Tuesday. Visibly frustrated, Pacioretty was unable to chase down a streaking Debrincat, who was headed to a game-sealing empty net goal. Pacioretty whacked Debrincat with a stiff two-handed slash, with no apparent attempt to make stick-on-stick contact.
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You gotta resist that urge Max. #VegasBorn https://t.co/5qsvlGkh2u
Pacioretty was swiftly fined $2,500 by the NHL's Department of Player Safety following the game. It was a play - not even a play - but an act that a player of Pacioretty's stature and experience should be above committing. He was an All-Star this season and a Captain for multiple years in Montreal. It was not a good look.
Expect the Blackhawks to want retribution for the slash and for Pacioretty riding Debrincat into the boards following the goal. If I'm Head Coach Pete DeBoer, I start Pacioretty's line and get it over with. He's a veteran and knows he needs to answer the bell for that move.
Now for the second most egregious hit of the game: Lehner's mask hitting the puck into the net. Matthew Highmore must have been watching his teammate because he scored this goal the way Kane won the Stanley Cup in 2010. Highmore had the puck on the left wall and aimed short-side high, over Lehner's shoulder. As Lehner went to stop it, he headbutt the puck into the top corner.
This was, by far, the worst goal allowed by Lehner in his VGK tenure. He's been lights out, taking the starters' job from the incumbent Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury played well in Game Three, the front half of the back-to-back, and it's entirely possible DeBoer throws him Game Five with a two game lead.
Lehner's .908 SV% leaves something to be desired, but it is in no way terrible or alarming. It's the playoffs and guys will find ways to score, as we saw Sunday night. Limiting Kane and Toews' chances will go a long way in preserving the series win.
Following the game, Nate Schmidt had some praise for Shea Theodore calling him "one of the best in the league", but admittedly wanted more from the Golden Knights defense corps, himself included. As the number one defenseman (?), he expects them to support the team on both ends, not to simply play on their heels and wait for a full-speed counter rush.
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"We need to be able to be a part of our scoring group , as defensemen.""It's something we need to continue to do.""It's an important part of our game here."- Nate Schmidt#VegasBorn #Blackhawks
Game Five will take place, as aforementioned, on Tuesday evening in Edmonton. Puck drop is tentatively scheduled for 7:30 PDT and will be shown nationally on NBCSN, locally on AT&T Sportsnet - Rocky Mountain. It will be interesting to see who DeBoer starts and sits and if Paul Stastny and/or Tomas Nosek make a return.
Catch me on Twitter to stay up-to-date on your VGK news. I will be tracking the "Unfit to Play" Stastny and Nosek news.
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