So Close; Vegas Late Push Falls Short, Montreal Wins Game 2

The Vegas Golden Knights tried a furious third-period rally to tie Game Two late, but ultimately lost to the Montreal Canadiens 3-2, evening the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Semifinal series at one game apiece.

The series will now shift to the Bell Center in Montreal.

Alex Pietrangelo scored both goals as the Golden Knights attempted to erase a 3-0 deficit but could not find the tying goal. Carey Price finished with 31 saves, including 16 in the final period to seal the win.

With the win, Montreal has taken home-ice advantage from the Golden Knights in the series.

The Takeaways:

• I warned you. I said I was worried about the lack of scoring from the top six. About the slow starts. About how this Vegas team just doesn’t get off the couch for the first period. In Game Two, Montreal made them pay by playing physical, pesky hockey that the Golden Knights took far too long to adjust to. It’s getting embarassing how this team can only play 40 minutes (or less) a night, especially when given the talent on the roster a 60-minute effort almost equals victory.
• Four first period shots.
• Two first period goals against.
• Keegan Kolesar ended up centering the top line with Chandler Stephenson out, and had the usual post-game quotes of “it’s an honor to play with those guys” and “next man up”. It hides the fact that Kolesar actually played well, winning draws that led to Pietrangelo’s goals. It also highlights how incredibly disappointing the play of Chandler Stephenson has been. Unfortunately for Vegas, he’s been a passenger for the most part (along with Reilly Smith) at the worst possible time.
• The only Vegas Golden Knights goal by a forward in this series belongs to Mattias Janmark. The VGK defense has all the others, with Pietrangelo leading the way with three.
• Speaking of Pietrangelo, he’s perhaps the one Vegas Golden Knights player who has gotten stronger as the playoffs have gone along. It’s really good to see him perform the way he has. This is exactly what the VGK envisioned when they signed him.