Setbacks & Failures: Inside the Golden Knights’ Game 1 Undoing

When the Vegas Golden Knights fell behind 2-1 after three games in the first round, there was no real reason to sound the alarm bells or push the panic button. Their wounds were self-inflicted– they didn’t take care of the puck, and they were poor defensively. The top line wasn’t producing, and they gave the Minnesota Wild easy offense.

The Golden Knights have again played themselves into a deficit, just as they did in the first round. However, though they’re just one game into Round 2, this hole feels far more significant.

On Tuesday, the Golden Knights dropped Game 1 to the Edmonton Oilers 4-2 after taking a 2-0 lead nine minutes into the game. They solved Calvin Pickard twice in their first seven shots and only tested him 10 more times across the remaining 51 minutes.

Not a great stat.

For 40 minutes, the Edmonton Oilers did to the Golden Knights exactly what they did to the Los Angeles Kings in the first round. And we all saw how that turned out. 

So, why did the Golden Knights fare so poorly against the Oilers in Game 1? It’s a tough pill to swallow, but the answer is clear: the Oilers’ depth outplayed theirs.

During their 4-2 Game 1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers, the Golden Knights’ two goals came from their top line off the stick of Mark Stone. In itself, that’s not a bad thing; they want and need their top line to produce. 

But the depth they boast looked meek and insignificant, and no amount of sticking Tanner Pearson with Jack Eichel would change that. 

Brandon Saad has played exceptionally well, but that hasn’t manifested in a goal this postseason, and he’s been held off the scoresheet for five straight games. It’s been three games since Reilly Smith recorded a point and two since he recorded a shot on goal. Keegan Kolesar hasn’t scored since February 27th– a two-goal night 31 games ago. Tanner Pearson hasn’t scored in 15 games and has just one assist in his last seven. 

Even Tomáš Hertl, the team’s second-leading goalscorer during the regular season, hasn’t recorded a point in three games.

Here’s my knee-jerk reaction: whether or not the Golden Knights can turn this series around is contingent on the status of one of their players.

No, I’m not talking about Alex Pietrangelo, who missed Game 1 with an illness. Kaedan Korczak drew into the lineup and played admirably in Pietrangelo’s stead. However, when Korczak and Nic Hague were on the ice at 5-on-5, the Oilers outshot the Golden Knights 13-8. That matters.

But, in theory, the Golden Knights should have been able to survive without Pietrangelo for a game. After all, their greatest strength is their depth, right? As it was, the only reason the Oilers didn’t blow the game wide open in the second period was because of Adin Hill.

Losing Pietrangelo was the nail in the coffin for a team already down their leading goalscorer. When you need a player to take over a game, you want the guy who scored 35 goals during the regular season.

In other words, the Golden Knights need Pavel Dorofeyev.

Dorofeyev missed his second straight postseason game on Tuesday. He was sorely missed on the power play; Victor Olofsson slotted in on the top unit in his absence. Olofsson and Keegan Kolesar both took shifts alongside Brandon Saad and Tomáš Hertl, Dorofeyev’s usual 5-on-5 linemates. 

I don’t mean to take anything away from Victor Olofsson, who is a good player. On Tuesday, he led the Golden Knights with nine shot attempts and three shots on goal. But Olofsson is a much better player when he’s consistently getting depth matchups. And the Golden Knights are a much better team with Pavel Dorofeyev in their top six.

So, when will Dorofeyev return? That’s between God and the Golden Knights’ medical staff– and there’s a good chance that God’s out of the loop.

Coaches aren’t exactly forthcoming regarding injured players. Even during the regular season, you’re lucky if they divulge whether an absent player has an upper or lower-body injury. 

During the Stanley Cup Playoffs? Forget it. You could strap Bruce Cassidy– or any other head coach, for that matter– into a dental chair, and the only information you’d extract is that the injured player is “day-to-day.”

So, of course, there’s a chance Dorofeyev will be ready for Game 2. There’s a chance he’ll slot back into the lineup, reclaiming his spot on the second line and giving Victor Olofsson and Keegan Kolesar better matchups. There’s a good chance that would fix most of the offensive problems the Golden Knights exhibited in Game 1.

And if not? 

I’m not an oddsmaker, but without Dorofeyev, I certainly wouldn’t set the Golden Knights as favorites.

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