NHL Takeaways: Golden Knights Make Wild Pay on Power Play
The Vegas Golden Knights made the most of their power-play opportunities against the Minnesota Wild, scoring two goals on the man advantage to take a 4-2 victory in Game 1 of their Western Conference series. According to Sportsnet, the Golden Knights’ special teams unit has been a key factor in their success this season, with the club drawing the second-fewest penalties league-wide in the regular season but putting up the second-best power-play success rate.
The Golden Knights’ power play struck early in the second period, with Pavel Dorofeyev scoring on a one-timer from the right dot just five seconds into Joel Eriksson Ek’s high-sticking minor. The play was perfectly executed, with Tomas Hertl dishing it to Shea Theodore, who masterfully dragged the puck and faked a slapshot before delivering a perfect pass to Dorofeyev. As Sportsnet noted, it was a "thing of beauty, the kind of designed play hockey schools will be studying."
The Golden Knights’ second power-play marker came on a buzzer-beating empty-netter, with Brett Howden scoring to seal the win. The play had significant implications for bettors, as it took Vegas’ victory margin up to two goals and pushed the actual total to six goals. According to Sportsnet, the goal came at the exact moment time expired, thus counting and changing the outcome of the game.
The Minnesota Wild, meanwhile, were bolstered by the return of their star players, Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek, who had been out for much of the season. Kaprizov assisted on both of Minnesota’s goals, scored by Matt Boldy, while Eriksson Ek led the team in shots with four and was king of the faceoff dot with a 66 per cent success rate. Sportsnet noted that the Wild "iced a full squad against Vegas — and what a difference it made," with the team showing they can play a similar game to the Golden Knights, with smart playmaking, hard-hitting, and driving fast to the net.
The Wild also got a boost from their new defenceman, Zeev Buium, who made his playoff debut at just 19 years old. Buium looked solid in his first matchup, showing his playmaking instincts, although he was guilty of passing rather than attempting a shot through traffic late in the game, leading to a takeaway. As Sportsnet noted, Buium has the potential to be an X-factor going forward if the Wild are to make a series of this.
In other NHL action, the Carolina Hurricanes took a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils in Game 1 of their first-round series. The Hurricanes set the tone early with a goal from Jalen Chatfield just over two minutes into the game, and Logan Stankoven had a pair of second-period goals to lead the team to victory. Sportsnet noted that Stankoven has been a "flawless fit" in Raleigh, with five goals and nine points in 19 regular season games with the Hurricanes down the stretch.
The Hurricanes’ victory was overshadowed by injury concerns for the Devils, with defenceman Luke Hughes and forward Cody Glass going down in the third period. Hughes left the ice favouring his left shoulder after tumbling hard into the Devils’ net, while Glass was on the receiving end of a hard slash by Jacob Markstrom. According to Sportsnet, the injuries could be a significant blow to the Devils’ chances in the series.
As noted by Sportsnet, the Hurricanes’ offence was dominant in this one, peppering Jacob Markstrom with 21 more shots than the Devils could muster against Hurricanes starter Frederik Andersen. The Hurricanes may be looking at a short series if they can maintain this level of performance.
In conclusion, the Golden Knights’ power play was the difference-maker in their Game 1 victory over the Wild, while the Hurricanes took a dominant win over the Devils. As Sportsnet reported, the NHL playoffs are heating up, with several series off to a thrilling start.
