Jason Franson / The Canadian Press via AP
Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner tries to stop Vancouver Canucks’ J.T. Miller (9) during the second period of Game 2 on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020, in Edmonton, Alberta.
Published Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020 | 9:20 p.m.
Updated Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020 | 11 p.m.
The Golden Knights said after the Game 1 whupping they put on the Vancouver Canucks that their second-round opponent was going to come back with their best effort in Game 2 on Tuesday. They were right.
The Golden Knights coughed up the first two goals and spent the night trying to come back, including a ferocious second period where they nearly did. Vancouver wouldn’t stop blocking shots though, and the Golden Knights’ early deficit was too much to overcome, falling 5-2 in Game 2 at Rogers Place in Edmonton to even the series at a game apiece.
“We knew that they were going to come out and be flying, and we decided to instead of being prepared, be surprised by that for some reason,” forward Alex Tuch said. “We can’t be down 2-0 to any team in this league. Vancouver definitely played better than us in the first, and after that it didn’t matter.”
The NHL record for blocked shots in a regulation playoff game is 41, and the Canucks had 40 on Tuesday, thwarting what could have been a record-setting night the other way. The Golden Knights generated 93 shot attempts, the second-most they’ve ever had in a playoff game behind only Game 4 against the Blackhawks last round. But when 40 of those don’t make it to the net, it makes the goalie’s night much easier.
“It’s definitely an indicator of their commitment and their desperation in the game,” coach Peter DeBoer said. “When you put in that type of commitment to winning, a lot of times you get rewarded.”
Vegas still had 40 shots on goal, so it wasn’t like Vancouver netminder Jacob Markstrom wasn’t working. Markstrom was much better Tuesday after being chased from Game 1 following his fifth goal allowed, and a near-record-setting performance from his defense helped limit Vegas to just the two goals.
The flip side of having 40 blocked shots is the opposition possessed the puck enough for you to block 40 shots. The Golden Knights had 50 shot attempts in the second period alone. The Canucks had 56 for the game.
“I don’t think we were making the smartest decisions with the puck,” Tuch said. “We decided to try to shoot through them instead of around them and make the simple play.”
Vegas Golden Knights goalie Robin Lehner (90) is scored on as Vancouver Canucks’ Alexander Edler (23) celebrates and Alec Martinez (23) defends during the first period of an NHL Western Conference Stanley Cup playoff game in Edmonton, Alberta, on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP)
While Markstrom’s defense helped him out, Robin Lehner’s did not. The Vegas goalie allowed four goals (Vancouver scored the fifth on an empty net) for the first time in 11 outings as a Golden Knight, though it’s tough to say just how many should be pinned on him.
Of the four goals Lehner allowed, three were the result of defensive breakdowns that left no one between him and the Vancouver shooter, and one was on the power play.
“They’ve got a lot of skill over there, and if you give them time and space they’ll capitalize,” Lehner said. “It was frustrating. I’ve got to be better.”
While the Golden Knights did a tremendous job in Game 1 of suffocating Vancouver’s most dangerous weapons, those players ran wild in Game 2. Tyler Toffoli had a goal and two assists his first game back from injury. Bo Horvat had two goals to up his postseason total to a league-best eight. Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller and Quinn Hughes all had an assist.
And Elias Pettersson showed why he’s considered one of the best young players in the sport. He raced around Shea Theodore to create the first goal for Toffoli. He assisted on Horvat’s first goal. Then in the second period, he put a damper on the Golden Knights’ 50-attempt onslaught by a winning a faceoff and charging to the net, where he collected an Alexander Edler pass and put a move on Lehner you’ll see on the highlights to make it 3-1.
“We’ve got to make a lot of guys’ lives a lot harder,” forward Mark Stone said. “Those guys had it easy tonight.”
Despite the lopsided shot totals, the Canucks came out with a much better game than they did in Vegas’ 5-0 win on Sunday. The return of Toffoli helped, as did Pettersson going beast mode. The Canucks continued to win faceoffs at a big clip: 66% of the draws went Vancouver’s way after 63% on Sunday.
Vancouver also took advantage of the Golden Knights’ mistakes, which proved to be the difference in the game. Vegas didn’t make too many on Sunday, but made enough Tuesday that the Canucks’ elite talent was able to put them up early and withstand the Golden Knights’ push.
It means the Golden Knights aren’t going to steal Vancouver’s lunch money every night. It means the Canucks are plenty ready to show how they defeated the defending champs in the first round.
It means we have a series. Game 3 is Thursday.
“We were a little late, a little slow, a little soft,” DeBoer said. “You get what you deserve in this league a lot of nights.”
