Wanna blog? Start your own hockey blog with My HockeyBuzz. Register for free today!
 

Vegas Beat Chicago 4-3 Without Holding a Lead

January 13, 2019, 1:43 PM ET [1 Comments]
Jeff Paul
Vegas Golden Knights Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT

(USA Today Sports)

One lead is all the Vegas Golden Knights needed Saturday night to collect two points in Chicago. Now this lead wasn’t attained by the Golden Knights scoring first and never relinquishing it. No, this lead was the kind you get and take it straight into the locker room. Vegas trailed for a majority of the game, right up until Paul Stastny tied the game at three goals apiece with 4:06 left in the third period. Shea Theodore would only need 1:19 of overtime to end the game, as he caught Carl Dahlstrom flat-footed on his way to the overtime winner.

Theodore took the puck in the neutral zone and broke toward the Chicago blue line. Upon entering the zone, Theodore recognized an opening and sped to the outside of Dahlstrom. In his attempt to recover and stay with Theodore, Dahlstrom was able to get his stick on the puck. Normally, that would be a good thing, but unfortunately for the Blackhawks defender, the puck ended up going toward his net and through the legs of Collin Delia. Not the ending the Blackhawks were hoping for, considering they led most of the game and were four minutes from their first win over the Golden Knights. With the loss, the Blackhawks drop to 0-5-1 against Vegas, dating back to their inaugural season.

Chicago was carried by their top scorers in this one. With the emergence of Alex Debrincat, Chicago has finally had the luxury of spreading the wealth, splitting up superstars Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews. Debrincat scored the first and third goals for Chicago, the latter on the power play. His two tallies were broken up by a Kane power play goal, which gave Chicago a 2-0 lead in the first, and a Vegas goal to start the second, courtesy of Alex Tuch. In the past, Chicago needed to play Kane and Toews together in order to piece together an effective top line.

Vegas’ second period was up and down, but they started strong and finished strong. Tuch’s goal came 1:34 into the period and Vegas cut the Chicago lead to one goal, when Ryan Carpenter beat Delia with an uncharacteristically solid wrist shot to the top corner. That snipe was Carpenter’s fourth goal of the season. Getting contribution from their third line is crucial for the Golden Knights. Interestingly, Vegas seems to get production from each line in waves. For a week or so, line two will carry the team, most recently on the Brandon Pirri scoring surge. Then, line one will take the reins. There have even been stretches where the fourth line of Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, Ryan Reaves, and William Carrier were scoring regularly for Vegas. The third line has been a real weak spot for the team, so when they contribute, it’s definitely a welcome sight for coach Gerard Gallant and his team.

Vegas never leading wasn’t the only odd part of this matchup. Both the Golden Knights and Blackhawks scored goals that were eventually taken away from them. Patrick Kane eventually scored for the Blackhawks, as mentioned previously, but prior to his recorded goal, he netted a slick wrist shot past Marc-Andre Fleury. Vegas challenged the play for an offsides call and they were right to do so. Pierre-Edouard Bellemare was the heartbroken player for Vegas, as his (not really) game-tying goal in the third period was deemed to be scored with a kicking motion.


Bellemare's Disallowed Goal (USA Today Sports)

It all ended up ok in the end for both teams. Chicago got the loser point, so they weren’t left empty-handed in a game they seemed to have in the bag. Vegas was able to get back in the win column, following a loss to the San Jose Sharks on Thursday night, that snapped their seven-game winning streak. San Jose, who jumped Vegas for second in the Pacific on Thursday, also won their game against the Senators, leaving the standings the same. It is too early to worry too much about playoff seeding, but the Sharks ARE the main rival for the Vegas Golden Knights, and they want to be ahead of them in the standings, as often as possible.

Vegas’ next game will be on Tuesday night in Winnipeg, in a rematch of the Western Conference Finals. Winnipeg brings plenty of fire power which makes the two points against the Blackhawks even more valuable. The Jets mix a solid defense corps with loads of top line scoring talent, which is never an easy out. Both teams can score a ton of goals while playing a fast transition game and Tuesday’s matchup should be a good one, between two of the top teams in the West.

Be sure to follow me on Twitter, by clicking the button below, for up-to-date Golden Knights info, analysis, and in-game discussion on game days.
Join the Discussion: » 1 Comments » Post New Comment
More from Jeff Paul
» What is Happening in Vegas?!
» Game Six: Fleury or Lehner?
» Golden Knights 2 - Canadiens 2: How Did We Get Here?
» Game Three: It’s Tuch Time
» Round Three Primer: Golden Knights vs Canadiens