7 Observations: Golden Knights Win! OT Heroics Keep Season Alive

Down 2-1 in the series, the Vegas Golden Knights entered Game 4 in desperate need of a win. The Minnesota Wild took Game 2 and Game 3 by identical 5-2 scores, and going down 3-1 in a series is practically a death sentence. 

“No, there’s no need for panic,” said William Karlsson on Thursday. “It’s one game at a time. All we can focus on is the next one. Get that and it’s status quo going back to Vegas. That’s what we’re aiming for.”

Through two periods, however, it looked like the Golden Knights had reason to panic. They struggled to sustain any offensive pressure, and when they established the zone, they didn’t force second chances in front of the net. 

But moral victories don’t matter in the postseason. All that matters is getting the win. And that’s how Game 4 ended on Saturday— the Golden Knights won, tying the series. 

At 6:47 in the first period, the Golden Knights took their first lead since Game 1 of the series. On the power play, Ivan Barbashev corralled a bouncing puck and passed to Shea Theodore. With Mark Stone parked in front of the net, Theodore stickhandled, surveyed the ice, and wristed a shot past Filip Gustavsson. 

Four minutes later, the Wild answered. In on the forecheck, Yakov Trenin plastered Nic Hague, forcing a turnover. Trenin collected the puck and backhanded a pass to Marco Rossi, who snapped it past Adin Hill.

The Wild took the lead just 1:24 into the second period. Brandon Saad deflected Ryan Hartman’s shot into the air; Marcus Foligno gloved it down in front of the net. Adin Hill stopped Hartman’s shot, but Foligno banged in the rebound.

Just 4:50 into the third period, the Golden Knights found the equalizer at the tail end of a four-minute power play. Filip Gustavsson saved Pavel Dorofeyev’s wrister but couldn’t cover the puck. Tomáš Hertl knocked it free; Nic Roy settled it and flung a shot over Gustavsson’s shoulder.

The Golden Knights took the lead at 10:03 in the third period. After taking an offensive zone face-off, Tomáš Hertl took off towards the net. He got tangled up with Ryan Hartman, and they both fell to the ice. Mark Stone surveyed the ice on the half wall and banked the puck in off of Hertl’s leg.

Just 54 seconds later, the Wild tied the game. Brayden McNabb blocked Jacob Middleton’s shot, and Jared Spurgeon collected the rebound and stuffed it in on the wraparound.

Overtime was fast and high-event, with both teams trading high-danger scoring chances off the rush. Adin Hill saved the game with a huge save 9:06 into overtime, and the Golden Knights killed off a penalty after Nic Roy hauled Joel Eriksson Ek down.

At 17:26 in overtime, the Golden Knights scored. Reilly Smith intercepted Jacob Middleton’s clearing attempt and tried to find Ivan Barbashev. Joel Eriksson Ek tied up Nic Roy in front of the net; Filip Gustavsson kicked out the bouncing puck, but it went right to Barbashev, who got around Middleton and chipped the puck over Gustavsson’s outstretched blocker. 

Three stars of the game: Pavel Dorofeyev, Tomáš Hertl, Filip Gustavsson

7 Golden Knights Observations

1. The reports of Shea Theodore’s death have been greatly exaggerated. After scoring, he continued to run the Golden Knights’ offense like an orchestra conductor– and he led the team in ice time, playing over 30 minutes.

2. The Golden Knights probably should have challenged Minnesota’s third goal. However, after what happened in the Edmonton Oilers – Los Angeles Kings game on Friday, I understand why they didn’t. It’s also of note that they took the lead on an equally questionable bit of interference. 

3. On that topic, I’m still in awe of Mark Stone’s setup on Tomáš Hertl’s goal. That was an incredible play. He must be a menace shooting pool.

4. The former top line is starting to wake up. Stone’s bank shot gave the Golden Knights a brief third-period lead, and Ivan Barbashev scored in overtime. Now, all eyes turn to Jack Eichel.

5 Filip Gustavsson is a very special goaltender. He saved 1.11 goals above expected in Game 2; in Game 4, he saved 1.45 goals above expected. He made 42 saves in the Golden Knights’ 4-3 overtime win, perhaps none more impressive than this one on Reilly Smith:

6. Bruce Cassidy put his lines in a blender, and it paid off. The third goal came from a Frankenline of Howden-Hertl-Stone; Ivan Barbashev scored his OT winner beside Nic Roy and Reilly Smith. Monday’s lines could be interesting.

7. There were times when it looked like the Golden Knights would return to Vegas down 3-1 in the series– Jared Spurgeon’s response goal could have been demoralizing; the penalty Nic Roy took in overtime could have been the dagger. Instead, the team fought through it and stayed strong. Mental toughness can make or break a series this time of year, and this team has it in spades.