FSM Essential Recap: VGK vs Stars – Western Conference Finals – Game 1
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The Vegas Golden Knights dropped game one of the Western Conference Finals 1-0 to the Dallas Stars. The puck found John Klingberg from between the circles and he beat Marc Andre Fleury’s low blocker side. That was the first shot of the game and it game just two minutes and thirty six seconds in.
Dallas came out fast, crisp, and physical. It took until about five minutes left in the second period for Vegas to find their legs. Dallas outshot VGK by a large margin for the first two periods, but VGK ended up tying Dallas at twenty-five shots on goal for the game.
A game like this is when Ryan Reaves is missed. No one was holding the Stars accountable for their early hits. Nick Cousins was able to drop Jaime Benn once. Other than that, it seemed like Dallas was dropping Golden Knights one by one. Mark Stone took an inadvertent helmet to the chin, and Riley Smith got crushed in the corner. Zach Whitecloud was given a few rough rides. Players think twice about hitting VGK players knowing that Reaves will be looking for them. Unfortunately, that was not the case in this game. Reaves will be a welcome addition for game two.
Peter DeBoer reached into his bag of tricks again. This was a prime letdown game after Friday’s game seven victory over Vancouver. One can assume the ideology of Fleury starting was to motivate the team. Dallas was inspired from the puck drop, and it took over half the game for VGK to find a groove. Fleury had an excellent game stopping twenty-four of twenty–five shots from the Stars. I like Fleury getting the start in this pivotal game; it shows trust from Mr. DeBoer and might help to settle the locker room a bit.
Look on the brightside, the last time VGK lost game one of a Western Conference Final game they went on to win four straight!
Reaves will undoubtedly draw back into the lineup for game two. I would expect Tomas Nosek to be scratched, which leaves a couple of options. The most likely would be Cousins moving to center between William Carrier and Reaves. Mr. DeBoer could also opt for Chandler Stephenson or Nick Roy to center the fourth line.
There should not be much mystery about Tuesday’s VGK starting goaltender as Robin Lehner should be between the pipes. The bigger mystery is who starts game three. Fleury was dialed in for game one and gave his team a chance to win. Lehner will need to have a strong performance in game two, or it will almost certainly be Fleury in game three.
Dallas was the better team in game one. No one can argue that. It is a bit concerning that the Avalanche scored at will against Dallas, yet Vegas could not put one in the net. Vegas has scored just two goals (not counting empty netters) in their last four games. Hockey is a funny game sometimes, and it is not always fair. Vegas could use a bit of “house” luck. Hopefully, this is one of those spots where Vegas gets a dirty goal, and the flood gates open. Riley Smith fanned two prime chances tonight, which is well out of character.
Again, looking back to season one, VGK lost game one of the Western Conference Finals. The Winnipeg Jets were stronger and faster. VGK was out of that game by the end of the first period. In the words of Aaron Rogers, “relax.” It is a long series.
Look for a stronger performance from VGK on Tuesday night.
Golden Knights vs. Stars Series & T.V. info
Game 1 – Stars 1, Golden Knights 0
Game 2 – Tuesday – 5 p.m. (NBCSN)
Game 3 – Thursday – 5 p.m. (NBCSN)
Game 4 – Saturday – 5 p.m. (NBC)
*Game 5 – Sept. 14 – 5 p.m. (NBCSN)
*Game 6 – Sept. 16 – 5 p.m. (NBCSN)
*Game 7 – Sept. 18 – 6 p.m. (NBCSN)
*If necessary
The magic number for the Golden Knights to hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup is still at 8.
Go Knights Go!
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-Chris Gawlik – Franchise Sports Media
Twitter: TDChrisG
