AP
Vegas Golden Knights’ Nicolas Roy (10) and Chicago Blackhawks’ Duncan Keith (2) battle for the puck during the first period of a first-round NHL Stanley Cup playoff hockey series in Edmonton, Alberta, Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020 | 2 a.m.
The Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks will play the next two days in their first-round playoff series, with the puck dropping at 5 p.m. tonight on NBC for Game 3.
Top-seeded Vegas leads the series 2-0 after an overtime victory Thursday in Game 2.
Here are three keys to victory, powered by Credit One Bank.
Don’t let Patrick Kane get going
It’s weird to think he’s not going already with three assists in Game 2, but the scary thing about Chicago’s Patrick Kane is that there’s still another level to his game. Vegas coach Peter DeBoer has deployed Shea Theodore and Alec Martinez as his primary defenders, and that’s worked well, not allowing Kane to use speed to get behind Vegas’ defense and score in transition where he is so deadly. Kane has just two shots on goal this series, and that’s where the Golden Knights want to keep him.
Keep up the pressure
One of the themes of the series was not giving upset-minded Chicago a chance to steal a victory. The back-and-forth second game might have been the Blackhawks’ best chance to grab a win, especially considering the Golden Knights are winning the battles at 5-on-5 in shot quantity (116-98 attempts) and shot quality (22-12 high-danger chances).
Pick on the fourth line
The Golden Knights have managed three goals against Chicago fourth-liners David Kampf and Ryan Carpenter at 5-on-5. It’s a simple strategy: Keep pounding the fourth-line; keep winning games.
Justin Emerson can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Justin on Twitter at twitter.com/@j15emerson.
