Jason Franson / The Canadian Press via AP
Vegas Golden Knights’ Shea Theodore (27) celebrates his goal against the Vancouver Canucks with teammates Reilly Smith (19), Jonathan Marchessault (81) and Max Pacioretty (67) during the third period of Game 7 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Edmonton, Alberta.
Friday, Sept. 4, 2020 | 8:40 p.m.
The Golden Knights were given the ultimate test, the final boss at the end of a yearlong video game to see what they had learned since last postseason.
It was another five-minute penalty in a Game 7. There was no controversy this time, as referees reviewed it and upheld the match penalty call. This time, Vegas passed.
The Golden Knights killed off all five minutes of Ryan Reaves’ match penalty in the second period, not only ignoring last year’s demons but banishing them forever. The penalty kill kept the game tied at zero, and with 6:08 left in the third period, Shea Theodore netted the game-winner to lift Vegas to a 3-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7 of the second round on Friday.
All the jokes and mockery can be left behind. Vegas defeated Vancouver and the five-minute penalty, and will play the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final at 5 p.m. Sunday.
Even beyond the major penalty, Vegas’ penalty-killing was spectacular on Friday. The Golden Knights held the Canucks without a shot on their first two power plays, and allowed just one shot during the major. In 11 minutes of short-handed time for the game, Vegas allowed two total shots.
And it was on the other side of special teams that the Golden Knights finally solved Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko, who had stopped the last 98 Vegas shots. Five seconds into the power play, Shea Theodore’s wrister dinged off the corner of the goalpost and into the net.
It was the Golden Knights’ first goal in 173:52 of game time, since Game 5. Theodore also scored that goal. Alex Tuch added an empty-net goal with 2:06 in the third, and Paul Stastny added another with 5 seconds left.
If the Golden Knights dominated puck possession this series, then whatever they did in the first two periods on Friday was the evolution of that. Through the first 40 minutes, the Golden Knights had 52 shot attempts to just 19 for the Canucks. At the midpoint of the second period, the Canucks had three shots on goal.
Vegas finished with a 36-15 advantage in shots on goal.
Robin Lehner, playing on back-to-back nights and starting his third game in four nights, recorded his third shutout of the series.
