Hannah Kirkell
Despite playing pockets of good hockey in the 10 games since the Olympic Break, the Vegas Golden Knights have had very little to show for it. They’ve struggled to put the puck in the back of the net and demonstrated an inability to stop the bleeding.
But on Saturday, the Golden Knights had no difficulty imposing their will on a weaker opponent. In the first period, they exploded for three goals in 3:27 and never looked back en route to a 4-0 win.
“The power play was huge,” said Kaedan Korczak following the win. “Pav is hot right now, so you just have to find him. Playing with the lead is much easier than chasing it.”
For the third game in a row, the Golden Knights played well right out of the gate. They outshot the Blackhawks 12-6 in the first period and generated 11 scoring chances while holding Chicago to five.
The Golden Knights broke the ice on the power play at 8:33 in the first. Mark Stone threaded a pass to Mitch Marner at the point from below the goal line, and Marner touch-passed it to Pavel Dorofeyev at the right dot. Dorofeyev uncorked a one-timer and beat Spencer Knight short side for his team-leading 33rd goal of the season.
The Golden Knights doubled their lead at 11:35 in the first. Pavel Dorofeyev protected the puck and drifted deeper into the zone; Andrew Mangiapane finally knocked it away. Noah Hanifin got to the puck first and found Rasmus Andersson all alone in the right circle; Andersson walked in and beat Spencer Knight short side.
The Golden Knights struck again just 25 seconds later after a dominant shift from their fourth line. Jeremy Lauzon fired a blast from the point, and Keegan Kolesar redirected it home.
“They know exactly what they are and how they need to play,” said Bruce Cassidy of the fourth line on Thursday morning. “I don’t think there’s been a shift where they haven’t had the opportunity to attack off the rush, or they haven’t brought it deep and tried to go in and tenderize the other team’s d a little bit.”
In the second period, the subdued Blackhawks began to show their frustration. The Golden Knights didn’t pour on the gas, but they certainly took advantage of a weaker Chicago team. They generated six high-danger scoring chances while holding the Blackhawks to two and controlled 71.84% of the expected goal share.
The Golden Knights added to their lead at 12:51 in the second. Mark Stone tipped Mitch Marner’s shot, and after a scramble in front of the net, Pavel Dorofeyev banged in his second power play goal of the night.
Early in the third period, the Blackhawks thought they got on the board with an Artyom Levshunov blast from distance. However, the Golden Knights successfully challenged for a missed game stoppage, restoring their four-goal lead and preserving Adin Hill’s shutout bid.
In his postgame press conference, Golden Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy credited Mark Stone and Shea Theodore with catching the missed game stoppage.
“[Stoney] and Theo saw it, and came to the bench,” acknowledged Cassidy. “That was actually a pickup by our players.”
Physicality ramped up as the third period progressed, but the Golden Knights didn’t give an inch. They generated eight high-danger chances while limiting Chicago to four, and controlled 66.18% of the expected goal share.
“It’s good for our team when we get dragged into the fight like that,” Cassidy said after the win. “Our group has always stuck together. The guys on the bench, Stoney’s standing up, and Barbie. Now, it’s on. That’s what got the guys involved.”
The Golden Knights’ 4-0 victory halted Chicago’s two-game win streak. Adin Hill hung on for the 21-save shutout and posted a 3.65 GSAx.
