“We’re a good Offensive Team, I think that’s part of our identity” Coach Pete DeBoer said after the Golden Knights 3-0 win in game 2 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Golden Knights evened the series to make it 1-1 following a Dallas game 1 win. Both goalies have pitched a shutout in this series. For Robin Lehner, this is his fourth consecutive playoff shutout. I hate to look ahead to a day Lehner may not be a Golden Knight, but he is absolutely helping his wallet this off-season.
Identity is something I have been hammering home about the Golden Knights. I’ve mentioned countless times their 34.5 shots per game that lead the NHL regular season. In games where they lost to Vancouver shooting 40 + times I wasn’t discouraged by it. Frustrated yes, but discouraged no. I’ll say it again, keep pounding the puck and taking shots. If we go down, go down shooting because that is the identity of the Golden Knights.
Tonight, the Golden Knights managed to rip-off 32 shots. Stastny scored his third playoff goal in the second period to put the team out-front 1-0. Goals would follow from William Karlsson on a power play (nice to see him back in the mix) and Nosek.
On top of having more shots (and more goals) the Golden Knights had more hits (55-47), more face-offs won (30-19), less penalty minutes (14-4), more blocked shots (11 – 10), and less giveaways (14-10).
What was encouraging about game 2?
I really don’t believe Dallas played any better or worse in game 2 than they did in game 1. This was a matter of the Vegas Golden Knights playing up to their level, and showing they are the more talented team. With that said, the game wasn’t flawless, and Dallas still is one of the top teams in the Western Conference. It’s going to be a long series, but for now we’re back to even.
sgkonvgk.com 