7 Observations: Golden Knights Rise to Occasion, Take Game 1

All season long, the Vegas Golden Knights have had an ace up their sleeve– when fully healthy, their power play is world-class. The Minnesota Wild were fairly disciplined, but one trip to the box proved to be the difference on Sunday. Tomáš Hertl and Brett Howden shone, and the Golden Knights took Game 1 by a score of 4-2 at T-Mobile Arena.

The Golden Knights lead the series 1-0. Game 2 is Tuesday.

There was a tentative feel to most of the first period. It was like two boxers sizing each other up, circling each other while trading cautious jabs that fell short of landing. The NHL betting sites solidly installed the VGK as favorites, but the first period was tepid.

It didn’t last; the Golden Knights struck 15:22 into the first period. Tomáš Hertl won an offensive zone draw, and Brandon Saad chipped the puck back to Alex Pietrangelo. Brock Faber knocked down Pietrangelo’s shot, but Hertl prevented Faber from clearing the puck. Hertl lifted Faber’s stick, stole the puck, and snuck it past Gustavsson’s mask and into the net.

The Wild answered back just over two minutes later. Ryan Hartman entered the zone, shrugged off William Karlsson, and slid a pass to Kirill Kaprizov. Kaprizov faked a shot and threaded a cross-ice pass to Matt Boldy, who beat Adin Hill five-hole. 

Joel Eriksson Ek high-sticked Alex Pietrangelo, and the Golden Knights made the Wild pay on the man advantage. Tomáš Hertl won the face-off back to Shea Theodore. Theodore faked a shot and slid the puck to Pavel Dorofeyev, who blasted a one-timer into the yawning cage. 

Brett Howden provided an insurance goal 2:28 into the third period. Noah Hanifin sent a breakout pass to Nic Roy. Roy entered the zone and sent a pass to Howden, who snapped a shot over Filip Gustavsson’s shoulder. 

The Wild cut the Golden Knights’ lead to one at 11:46 in the third period. Kirill Kaprizov tried to find Ryan Hartman backdoor, but his pass took an aggressive bounce off Noah Hanifin’s skate. The puck went right to Matt Boldy, who stuffed it in on a wraparound.

The Wild pulled Filip Gustavsson for the extra attacker but struggled to generate anything dangerous. Matt Boldy hauled William Karlsson down to prevent an empty-netter, which sent the Golden Knights to a late power play. The Wild again pulled Gustavsson, and Brett Howden scored his second of the night with .1 seconds remaining in the third period.

Three stars of the game: Brett Howden, Tomáš Hertl, Pavel Dorofeyev 

7 Golden Knights Observations

1. If there was any concern about Pavel Dorofeyev having postseason nerves, put that to bed. It was just another Sunday for him. He scored his first playoff goal and looked very sharp defensively. And he certainly wasn’t afraid to throw the body. 

2. After struggling in the postseason last year, Tomáš Hertl kicked off the playoffs with an excellent performance. He opened the scoring, won the face-off for Dorofeyev’s power play marker, and bailed out the defensemen after turnovers. If the Golden Knights get this level of play from Hertl for the entire postseason, they might be the team to beat.

3. The Golden Knights needed just six seconds to capitalize on their first power play opportunity of the night. The Wild’s penalty kill wasn’t particularly competitive, but how many times have the Golden Knights scored that exact goal on the man advantage? 

4. I thought Adin Hill played very well on Sunday. He certainly doesn’t struggle to make timely saves. Matt Boldy beat him twice, but I’m not sure I’d blame Hill for either goal.

5. Brett Howden has become quite the story. He’s got to be brimming with confidence right now. His exceptional play carried over into the postseason; on Sunday, he scored twice– the game-winner and a buzzer-beating empty netter.

6. Brandon Saad is as snakebitten as they come right now. He looked great on Sunday and had no shortage of scoring chances. Dating back to the regular season, he has just one goal in his last 17 games. And he’s not playing poorly– far from it– he just can’t seem to buy a goal.

7. The Golden Knights were the better team in Game 1. However, unless they want a long series, they’ll have to be better with taking care of the puck. The Wild, sans Matt Boldy, couldn’t finish on Sunday; that might not be the case on Tuesday. 

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