WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Have the Golden Knights finally met their match? The Capitals are now up 2-1 in the Stanley Cup Final after another suffocating victory.
The Knights couldn't decide what they thought of their first period.
David Perron volunteered, "Our first was good in general."
Ryan Reaves countered, "Our start killed us. We weren’t ready."
I thought they were fine:
In a series that's been extremely entertaining, the first period in Washington was a little low event, with both teams struggling to get much going. #ALLCAPS #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/5kF2RB9xQk
— The Point (@PNThockey) June 3, 2018
A fairly-even, tight 1st, which bodes well for #VegasBorn: #VGK 17-15 5v5 Corsi, 7-6 chances, #allcaps 2-0 high-danger. By my count, 3-3 ES chances
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) June 3, 2018
But a minute into the middle frame of the scoreless affair, a supposedly-hampered Evgeny Kuznetsov took over.
Carlson stretches it to Ovechkin. Ovechkin makes a crafty pass to the other wing for a clean zone entry.
Carlson keeps in as Wilson picks Neal, preventing Neal from getting to the point. Carlson then gets it low to Kuznetsov.
Carlson crashes the net; Kuznetsov goes up top. David Perron, whose attention is divided between Carlson and Kuznetsov, allows Carlson to gain inside position.
Kuznetsov looks at Ovechkin. Nate Schmidt has him covered. He holds. He holds. He holds, finally revealing his hand by whipping a diagonal high to low pass through Brayden McNabb to Carlson for the tip.
I talked to Barry Melrose a little bit about this specific play. He noted that while all players have peripheral vision, the great ones simply possess more. Kuznetsov never looked over at Carlson, but he knew there was a "red blur" crashing the net -- that's how Melrose put it -- and he passed it into the area where Carlson was going. This deceptiveness keeps McNabb, who's shading Kuznetsov, guessing.
More than anybody, Kuznetsov breaks open a once-tight defense. His patience and vision were on full display here. Good read by Carlson too.
"Kuznetsov is a guy who drives the play out there," said Perron. "He really changes the coverage every time he touches the puck. Guys have to give him time, but when you do that, he finds guys."
From this point on, Golden Knights coverage is scrambled -- a lot of puck watching going on -- you can blame pretty much anybody except for Marc-Andre Fleury.
In the opening frame, I counted just three scoring chances for Washington. On this sequence alone, I counted four -- Carlson tip, Kuznetsov from the slot, Carlson jam, and Ovechkin goal.
"We can be harder around the net there. It's just a scramble play where they outcompeted us," admitted Perron. "It changed the momentum. It was a good hockey game at that point for our team."
James Neal added, "It's unacceptable." While he wasn't speaking specifically of this play, he was addressing his line's work last night, including their defensive mishaps.
Pluses
Schmidt admitted #VegasBorn is playing more passive box against Ovechkin & #allcaps PP. Read about it here: https://t.co/4ECyP5PiSg.
— Sheng Peng (@Sheng_Peng) June 4, 2018
Compare how #VGK attacks WSH PP w/ Ovechkin (on left), then w/o him (Niskanen has taken Ovie's place): pic.twitter.com/Wx1k5i0Qgh
As a whole, Vegas did not play a complete game. It was a well-deserved 3-1 loss, and going into Game Four, they need more from everybody.
I'll have more about that tomorrow.
That said, Shea Theodore's mistakes did stand out last night -- I'm not going to highlight every one of the them, but this is the one that I was most curious about.
Nobody blames Theodore for breaking his stick, but I'm not sure why he's pinching without a stick at what doesn't appear to be even a 50-50 puck. Theodore gets caught, the Caps are off on a three-on-two, and Kuznetsov strikes again.
"I tried to keep the puck in the best I can," said a crest-fallen Theodore. "When you don't have a stick, it's tough to back out, especially on an odd-man rush. That's one I'd like to have back."
Perron pointed out, "When someone breaks their stick, it kind of freezes everyone for a half of a second."
Theodore's teammates and head coach were strident in their defense of the 22-year-old.
"He must forget it. It was a bit of the same story with Tuch after the second match," observed Fleury. "The series remains a marathon. We all make mistakes."
"I think tonight you just kind of move forward and tomorrow, once the page is turned, you bring some positive reinforcement," offered Perron. "He’s been good in the playoffs and in season for us. He’s improved since training camp. You gotta remember he started a little in the AHL. I know it was roster spots, but he’s improved a lot. He’s been dancing for us on the blueline, he’s made great plays. Didn’t go his way tonight."
Neal shot back, "I don't get what you're saying. What do I say to him? For what? I thought he was fine. He's been great all year."
“He knows," stressed Reaves. "He’s been playing great. Mistakes are gonna happen. That’s not the problem."
His partner, Deryk Engelland, counseled, "Turn the page. It’s not a big deal. It’s one game and we need him at his best tomorrow."
"Did Shea do something really bad?," asked Gallant rhetorically. "He plays the game like everybody else. He made a couple mistakes. Ended up in the back of our net. A lot of guys make mistakes in a hockey game, they don't end up in the back of the net. Shea's a 22-year-old kid who I love, he's a great player. He's going to be a star in this league."
The talented youngster will get a shot at redemption tomorrow night.
"I've got to be better all over the ice," admitted Theodore. "Definitely re-charge tomorrow and get back at it. You have to have a short memory on these type of things and it's a seven-game series."
***
Anyway, Theodore's pinch reminded me of this pinch from Game Two that led to a Washington three-on-one:
View post on imgur.comHonestly have no idea what Theodore is doing pinching that aggressively with zero support, just a goal down, almost an entire period left.
Good thing that Eller, he of one goal and two assists in Kuznetsov's stead, was really feeling himself. He misses the shot on the 3-on-1, but I suspect in most cases, the aggressive Fleury is happy to handle the shot anyway instead of a pass over to Vrana or Michal Kempny.
"I'm not sure," offered Theodore, when asked if he knew why he was passed over. It's worth noting that a minute later, when Fleury was pulled, Theodore was back out there.
"I don't change the D," said Gallant. "Ask Ryan McGill."
***
These were Theodore's full post-game comments. I'm sure it was difficult for him to come out, so good on him for stepping up.
What happened on Kuznetsov goal ....
“I tried making a play and it didn't go the way I planned and that's something I'd like to have back…
Describe night from your perspective…
“Personally, not a good game. I've got to be better all over the ice and definitely recharge tomorrow and get back at it. You have to have a short memory on these type of things and it's a seven game series.…
Nerves? Pressure?
“No, no. I think tonight I just have to be much better than I was.…
After your stick snapped, describe what happened..
“On that play, I tried to keep the puck in the best I can. When you don't have a stick, it's tough to back out, especially on an odd man rush. And that's one I'd like to have back.…
After DSP goal, it looked like Gallant skipped your shift. Did he explain why?
“Yeah, I'm not sure. I'm not sure.…
Something about blocked shots..
“It's tough, they're good in the lanes, they did a good job blocking shots tonight, but overall I think as a team we have to do a better job in getting shots through.…
***
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