In just the third period of Game Three, the Golden Knights were forced to ice the puck
six times. In comparison, there were just seven
total icings in the first two periods of the contest, four by Vegas, three by Winnipeg.
These icings were part and parcel with a period which saw the Knights get outchanced in high-danger areas 8-0, according to Natural Stat Trick.
Since then, both Gerard Gallant and Pierre-Edouard have stated that this desperate period -- capped off by Marc-Andre Fleury's remarkable stops on Mark Scheifele -- was the result of the team not moving their feet.
Bellemare observed, "It's kind of an endless circuit. We're not skating. We're taking one stride less; they're taking one stride harder. Suddenly, you can't reach the red line. You can't put the puck all the way deep. You have to [avoid] an icing. They can curl and come quicker."
They're right.
But there's also more to what happened to the Golden Knights in the third. In preparation for tonight, I went over the final frame and found some details that the team will need to clean up if they want to take a commanding 3-1 series lead tonight.
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Here's an example of forechecking too aggressively (and not with a lot of zest either, speaking to the skating point).
Both Tomas Nosek and Ryan Reaves get sucked behind the net, then Bellemare and Luca Sbisa try to pinch Joel Armia. Not great reads.
While this wasn't a very harmful result, Winnipeg is ceded an easy entry and zone time, as too many Vegas players are caught chasing.
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The Jets, as I've mentioned many times, have a very aggressive forecheck. Bellemare has talked about the importance of making strong first plays to combat this forecheck. Here, a perhaps indecisive Shea Theodore gets wiped out by Armia.
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Yesterday, Gallant spoke of not wanting his team to dwell on mistakes, and instead, focus on making good plays.
So he might not have much to say about Nate Schmidt's attempted stretch pass up to Reilly Smith. And you know what? He's not wrong, and as we see with David Perron's approval, his players love his philosophy.
That's more important than anything I'm about to say here.
Regardless, hanging onto a one-goal lead, opposition mounting a huge offensive, this might be a moment to read time and situation, slow down the game with a safe play.
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Like Schmidt's stretch bid, James Neal is trying to make a play. No problem with that. But obviously, puck management with zero support behind you is always paramount.
Anyway, the Knights survived. None of these shifts resulted in a goal against. Yet, as Bellemare reminds us, that's not the point.
"Sometimes, we can talk about momentum. One line creating a shift, the next line coming on the ice...it goes the other way around. If we have a shift where their team gets three shots, the next line coming on the ice, mentally, they have to prepare themselves to give a good shift.
"But if somehow, they're not ready, or they haven't connected on the bench before going on the ice, maybe one puck, instead of going deep, it's going to touch a skate, come back, and suddenly, you have this momentum change [for the other team].
"Momentum is something you want to keep as long as possible."
All these mistakes certainly cost Vegas momentum as they tried to finish off the contest. Look for improvement in these details if the Golden Knights get a chance to close out Game Four.
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One guy who didn't stop skating in the final frame was Cody Eakin.
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Gallant identified this hit on Mark Scheifele as an important moment which gave some momentum to the reeling Golden Knights.
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Perhaps even larger than this backcheck was Eakin's anticipation here, about 30 seconds left, Connor Hellebuyck pulled, Winnipeg agitating to tie:
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Eakin broke down this sequence, "They got a few threats. You have to be in the middle. Watch Laine on the backside. Watch Scheifele in the slot. Everyone's got their job.
"At that point of the game, you just have to bear down. You have to use your judgment to [decide] where you need to be. I was able to be in the right spot, able to get a stick on it. Otherwise, shot from Scheifele in slot...not what you want."
Eakin also alluded to the importance of being tight enough on Mark Scheifele to pounce on a pass, but not too tight to discourage Blake Wheeler from trying the pass; in a sense, he lured Wheeler into a Jets bread-and-butter play. Being too tight on Scheifele also exposes other areas of the ice to Wheeler.
It's a really delicate balance and Eakin certainly walked the tightrope successfully in this sequence.
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For a fourth-liner, Tomas Nosek had some real highlights last game.
First, he closed out the tilt for a couple shifts in Alex Tuch's stead with Erik Haula and James Neal. Tuch admitted to some turnovers earlier in the period, but it's also a well-deserved reward for the defensive stopper. Second, Dustin Byfuglien did this to him and Colin Miller:
I caught up with "Nosy" about these topics today:
Nosek, on what it means to be elevated to Haula's line to close out game defensively:
It's means responsibility. I like it. I like that the coach trusts me in this position, at this time of the game.
I like to go into there, don't let them score any goals, help defend, block some pucks. I'm very happy to be out there.
Nosek, on how his speed and reach make him a defensive force in neutral zone:
It's about good angles too. That's what I've been doing my whole career. I hope it's my job here. I'm happy to be back in the line-up, for sure.
Nosek, on if he's ever been picked up off ice like Byfuglien picked he and Miller up:
(laughs) No, probably not.
When I saw the replay, it was like 5 or 6 people in the scrum. He pretty much pulled everyone off. (laughs) I was laughing when I watched it.
Nosek, on his feeling as Byfuglien was picking him up and his reaction when he saw it was Byfuglien:
Yeah, he's a big guy.
If somebody grabs you from behind like this, you stand up, you look at them. He was calm. So that was pretty much it.
Nosek, on if his teammates laughed at him after seeing clip:
A little bit, maybe.
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Yesterday, I also spoke with Maxime Lagace, who has ascended to the back-up role as Malcolm Subban deals with an undisclosed ailment. He took me through his reactions of Fleury's saves on Scheifele, among other topics:
Lagace, on Fleury:
I have so much to learn from that guy. He's a great role model, great goalie.
Lagace, on his reaction to the back-to-back stops on Scheifele:
I was sitting and I just jumped up. I was like, "Oh...my...God."
He made the first save across with the pad, it was already amazing. And he had the awareness to jump back, dive back.
He's a special guy, he's a very special guy.
Lagace, on what goes through a goalie's mind at the moment:
There isn't anything going through your mind. When you're in the zone, you're having fun in there, you just don't think.
At the time, when he made the first save, that's because he's confident, he's playing well. You make every move the best way you can. Showed on that play. It was pitch-perfect. Great movement from left to right. The mental awareness was on point.
Lagace, on getting the call over Oscar Dansk to join Golden Knights' emergency squad:
It's their decision. Obviously, it's great to get the call. Oscar had a great season too. Either way, it was a good decision. I'm happy to be here.
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By the way, the belief is the David Perron will dress tonight. We'll see what that means for Ryan Reaves, Tomas Tatar, among others, tonight.
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