With Game One officially under their belts, the Vegas Golden Knights are currently eking out the narrowest of leads over the Carolina Hurricanes in the race for the Stanley Cup.
On Thursday, the Golden Knights hope to widen the gap between themselves and their foes when the two teams meet in Raleigh for Game Two.
Venue: Lenovo Center, Raleigh, NC
Date: Thursday, June 4
Time: 5:00 pm PST
How To Watch: ABC
Radio: 1340 AM, 94.7 FM
Game One felt completely out of control, with what many assumed would turn into a defensive slugfest giving way to arguably the most exciting game of these playoffs to date. Ultimately, the back-and-forth battle would end with the Golden Knights getting the deciding key plays with Tomas Hertl’s go-ahead goal with three and a half minutes remaining and Mitch Marner’s block and on a potential equalizer in the final seconds. With both teams off to flying starts offensively, Game Two could end up being decided by who is able to button down first defensively.
Here is how the Golden Knights can get out to a 2-0 series lead for the second straight time, giving them an opportunity to lift the Stanley Cup in Las Vegas.
How-to guide
If the Vegas defenders need an example of what they must do to put the breakdowns of Game One behind them, they need only emulate Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb.
In the first 25 seconds of the game, Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers took advantage of an ill-advised pinch from Theodore to open up an odd-man rush and put Carolina on the board with the first shot. The duo of the original Golden Knights, however, would quickly put it behind them as Theodore put up Vegas’ first goal of the game to kick off a six-point night between the two. A continued effort from the Golden Knights’ top defensive pair, as well as similar contributions from the likes of Noah Hanifin and Rasmus Andersson, would make all the difference.
Keep them quiet
While the Golden Knights did not get goals from typical sources in Game One, they also did a good job to reduce the impact of most of Carolina’s top players.
None of Carolina’s four goals came from their top six forwards, including the lethal line of Taylor Hall, Logan Stankoven and Jackson Blake. The Golden Knights’ depth came through in Game One, but now the trick lies in getting their stars off to a similar start in Game Two. If the offensive attack becomes more balanced, that will make any comeback bid for the Hurricanes more difficult to overcome.
Press the issue
As the Colorado Avalanche found out, the Golden Knights can put the pressure on with a 2-0 series lead heading back to Vegas.
Between the resilience that has been a main feature throughout the season for the Golden Knights and the current streak they are on, the confidence in the Vegas locker room continues to soar. Game One was another example, with Carolina jumping out to an early 2-0 lead before the Golden Knights responded with their counter punch. If Vegas can put the pressure on the Hurricanes to respond to a series deficit, it will test whether their opponent can adapt to their first real stretch of adversity.