Recap: The Golden Knights needed a win in Game 2 to tie up the seven game series in Colorado. The Avalanche opened the scoring again early in the 1st period. Vegas answered back six minutes later with a game-tying power play goal from Alec Martinez. Colorado was awarded four power plays in the period and converted one to take a 2-1 lead after the opening 20 minutes.
Trailing by one goal the Golden Knights came out strong in the middle frame. Vegas controlled the puck and took some quality shots on net. Midway into the 2nd period Reilly Smith tied the game 2-2 with a nifty backhand. It was Smith’s second of the postseason and it couldn’t have come at a better time.
The 3rd period was tense and tight. Vegas carried the play throughout most of the final frame pressuring Colorado on a power play opportunity. The Golden Knights couldn’t score but held momentum heading into to overtime. Unfortunately, Vegas took an early soft slashing penalty in overtime and Colorado took advantage.
With their 3-2 defeat to the Avalanche, the Golden Knights trail the seven game series 2-0. The series shifts to Vegas for the next two contests. The Golden Knights will have a chance to get within one with a win in Game 3. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 PM PT. (Recap by Jason)
Analysis: The Golden Knights got themselves in a bit of a hole early as the Avs jumped all over them in the 1st. However, from that 1st intermission on, the Golden Knights followed the blueprint to beating the Avs to a tee. They were excellent getting the pucks in deep, great in puck management and had excellent sticks in the neutral and defensive zones. They wound up with a ton of opportunities, finished a few, but in the end, just could not beat the post or Grubauer enough. There’s absolutely nothing to hang your head about in that game except for the final score, which unfortunately at this time of year is all that matters. The Golden Knights know what they can do now and despite the two game deficit, they are not down and out. (Analysis by Ken)
Upcoming stories from the Vegas Golden Knights vs Colorado Avalanche Game 2 at Ball Arena
- Identifying the differences and why there’s so much more hope than a 0-2 deficit indicates
Ken’s Three VGK Stars
*** Nic Hague
** Alex Tuch
* Reilly Smith
I agree, the call was soft, and it definitely does not need to be called in OT.
But, c'mon guys. Patrick Brown took a clear 4-minute penalty in the last 5 minutes of the game. Blame the posts, not the refs.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) June 3, 2021
DeBoer calls the OT call soft and then says he can't blame the refs because the Avs were embellishing calls the entire night.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) June 3, 2021
VGK deserve so much better than 2-2 right now. They are playing absolutely brilliantly and it just hasn't gone it… yet.
— SinBin.vegas (@SinBinVegas) June 3, 2021
Mark
I thought we dominated the 2nd and 3rd period, we just didn’t get a break. We can skate with these guys, it could of been 6 to 2. Our defense was really stellar. I must say, Stone looks way off, he’s got no speed, he’s surviving by instinct, by his hockey sense, something going on their. Smith is amazing and Tuch looks awesome too. I thought about it, Graves is out their enjoying himself, Janmark is out. IMOP, he’s an actor, flopping on the ice, pulling a Dustin Hoffman, he’s a fraud. I’m not over that whole situation yet. Our backs are against the wall, we need to take the 2 games in Vegas or it’s over.
Howard
VGK got themselves into trouble in the 1st by remaining to try those long line passes into the neutral zone. The 1st goal was fluky, but a result of poor VGK play. The 2nd goal, the PP resulted in AVS gaining their zone again by yet another horrid long pass attempt thru the neutral zone. VGK finally cleaned that up after the 1st. Piets cleaned it up after being absolutely putrid in that 1st period as well. He needs to continue to play like he did after the 1st,
Max had a clean break away and took a poor shot. Tuch had the same and really took a poor shot. Notice the theme? You always hear announcers say how great VGK opponent goaltender is playing. Nonsense, Grubs was good but unskilled shooting made him look better than he was.
However, VGK played well enough to win and has to continue what they did from 2nd period to end of game. Yes, that slash call was soft, but I think it was Brown who clearly cross-checked a guy right in the face which should have been a double minor, so these things have a way of evening out.
When VGK does play the right kind of game, they tend to OVER THINK their shots. I’m not sure why this is, but they clearly do that.
When you get 2 clean break aways on a goalie, you gotta put one in the net, and that was the difference. When you hit a post, you MISSED THE SHOT, PERIOD – that’s just part of hockey, always has been , always will be.
VGK will probably lose this series, but if they play their correct game, they do have a shot, Many teams come back being down 0-2 after losing both games on the road. However, if VGK org wasn’t so arrogant and went with MAF in that game with COL near end of year, we likely have home ice, notwithstanding Lehner’s very poor play in that Minn game – if that game goes to overtime, we win President’s Cup and we might be up 2-0 now.
Poor decisions in hockey really cost you because the talent level between the best and worst teams in the league is closer than any other major sport, so those poor decisions in hockey tend to be greatly amplified this time of year.
Avs have more talent than VGK, but it’s a lot closer than most might think – BARELY. What they do have that we sorely lack is skilled shooters.
Emilio
Well said Howard! Star power is what the Avs have. Snipers, speed demons, and silk. Hope Vegas can come back. We shall see.
Mark
Agree, the call on Smith was weak, the guy dropped his stick than threw a fit, doing a Dustin Hoffman. In a playoff game in OT, that was a blown call. Good point on the Brown missed call. Anyway, your correct, we should of buried a shot, we had so many chances.
Daryl
So, how many come on here and blame the officials for this loss??? Who’s going to be the first to say the penalty on Smith was weak and that cost us the game??? Fact is, it was the correct call. As much as I hate to say it, the officials has to make that call. VGK has 5 or 6 chances to get to the puck and clear after shots but COL out hustled them to the lose puck. VGK also had a PP at the end of the 3rd and couldn’t put the game away. This loss is on them not the officials!!!
Now, just need to regroup and come back at home and win. We’ve shown them we can play with them, now we just have to show them we can beat them!!! Too many stupid penalties in that game!
Billy
Daryl,
Great comment its enlightening to see a Vegas fan with knowledge about the game and not going on emotion.
Frank
Daryl – how many times have you seen borderline calls (like that one) not get called in OT – let alone a playoff OT??? I have been watching/playing hockey for the better part of 25 years and I have seen many just like that one…. not get called in OT. Was it technically correct, yes. But more often than not, the officials have a tendency to swallow their whistles in OT unless the infraction is really blatant. You can point to posts, or not capitalizing on opportunities, but that PP awarded to the AVS directly led to the game winning goal.
Mark
Agree 100%. Most people on this blog are not really Knight fans, their from other parts of the country like NY, Boston etc… Their constantly trashing everything we do, be it calls or personnel moves, blown calls or coaching decisions. You see how when you question a weak slash in OT, they call us whiners and complainers. Most of these people here are masquerading as Knights fans, their frauds.
Daryl
Good one Mark…. so basically if you want to be a VGK fan you must live in Vegas and you must wear your homer goggles 24/7. The officials are out to get us, we never get any calls, and we are always getting screwed!!!! Good to know.
DOC (Go Knights Go)
Of course you are right Mark and many real fans agree with you.
Just know things are being worked on right now, to bring a new site on board by next season.
It will be a place for real fans to gather without the negativity, political & racist crap that dominates here.
That’s all I can say right now, but have hope and root positively for our Knights! 🙂
Daryl
If you don’t agree with Doc… if you don’t think VGK is the best every and the only reason they lose is because the officials are out to get them…. then you are no real fan!!!! Straight from the old man’s mouth!
Sounds like Doc is getting a true liberals message board togather… so they can monitor and decide what you are allowed and not allowed to say. Censorship at it’s best! How boring is that site going to be. It will be funny to see. Everyone agrees so there is no back and forth, no discussion, just one person making a comment and all the others saying they agree. LOL
DOC (Go Knights Go)
Of course the little man won’t be part of any new site and he is already jealous of that, or why would he even comment on it.
You’ll never see a comment from him or any of his type. This I can guarantee! Yahoo!!!!!!!!
Daryl
Awwww…. Doc is afraid of being made to look stupid so he isn’t going to let anyone with an opinion that doesn’t match his join the site. That’s ok, we won’t have to worry about all this inside info that has been wrong the entire time!!! You probably won’t be around by the time this so called site is up and running!!!
This new site will have like 5 posters on it…. and all 5 will talk about how great Lehner really is, how great PDB is, how these GMs haven’t made a bad decision yet and how great VGK is and nothing needs to change!!! Doc is still living in lala land…. his meds must have kicked in.
Daryl
If the incident happened away from the puck or play then I would 100% agree with you. Difference is the COL player was reaching out to try to make a play on the puck. He had one hand on the stick and Smith had both hands on his when the slash happened. Sorry, but I completely disagree with you!!!! To me, it was way to obvious not to call. Again, if it were anywhere else when it happened then I would agree.
And trying to blame the officials for the loss is absolutely pathetic!!!! That was a HORRENDOUS PK for VGK. They were out hustled to every lose puck. They lost because COL wanted it more. It’s that simple
Frank
That call maybe gets called 50% of the time in regulation. I see it differently. On the outcome of the game… it’s not on the refs. Nowhere in my post did I blame the refs. That call, by the rulebook, is the correct call. Just saying that it does not get whistled all the time and even less so in OT in the playoffs. And the PP led directly to the goal. And yes, bad luck and a bit of scrambling in our own zone when we had chances to clear on the PK also cost us. Bottom line, the call was correct…. but in the pantheon of penalties… that is a total softie.
Daryl
We just disagree…. to me, that call gets made almost always when a player is making a play on the puck. It’s the calls away from the puck, especially when vying for position, the call doesn’t get made.
Tim
How could you get in any rhythm in the first period. We had 4 penalties and 1 PP which was 10 minutes of the first period. So half the period was a waste. Vegas got what they deserve to think you can play a team as good as Colorado and commit penalty after penalty and expect to win not realistic. It’s a shame as well as we played without a true center is amazing in it’s self and to waste 8.8 on Petro instead of a center we desperately need is on management not DeBoer. Listening to the hockey channel on the radio every talk show host said the same. They put it this way Vegas always likes to get that shinny new toy. As we all know how can Karlsson, Stephenson, and Roy or what ever center plays on the third line compare with many of the other teams. That’s the sad thing we play so hard and so close with inferior centers all self induced. Oh well our division isn’t very good so we’ll make the playoffs again next year but please no more of this Stanley Cup nonsense. We have no cap space a goalie that god only knows where he’s at, a D-Man over 30 that’s not worth half the money, and don’t be surprised if Fleury goes back to the Penguins.
Mark
I’m not giving up on Petro, but he’s not worth 4.4 million the way he’s playing now, more like 1.1 million, I mean he looks lost. It’s pathetic, disheartening. Something going on their, same with Stone, he’s disappeared other than smart defense, it’s baffling.
Tyler Durden
You don’t deserve anything in playoff hockey, you earn it.
You don’t whine like a bitch like DeBoar.
You win the right way.
That’s hockey.
KT
Where is Lehner? Did he split the scene (I’m the eff outta here!) from Denver and is now hitch hiking across America? …………………… crickets ………………………….. more crickets …………… anyone?
Julie
I think I just passed him on the I-10 near Phoenix….
I wondered that too. He had a bad game, but if you are the 25m man, aren’t you expected to at least suit up and look like you learned a lesson or two and ready for the next game? I am glad Logan was there, but Vegas made their bed,now they should have to lay in it. Is this normal for a goalie to go missing like this? Fleury had to sit on the bench for most of the playoffs last year despite all that nonsense which lasted more than one game. And when PDB was asked who was starting in the net, he said something like “you know, but I am not going to say it”. So goofy.
KT
Haha, awesome Julie! You are spot on with your post!
TwoPipes
Coach Debbie sure got whiny after the loss. I mean, a crosscheck to the face of the Avalanche captain by Brown would have been a death sentence but I guess Debbie ain’t countin’ that. This is the same guy whose team (Sharks) torched the Knights after getting an undeserved gift in the form of a major penalty that never happened a couple of years back. Cry me a freakin’ river. I never liked the hire and I especially didn’t like the firing that got him there. If I’m Foley, I’m embarrassed by the total loss of composure in Game 1 and the whiny-B excuse making after a tough loss in Game 2. You have to bury your chances when you get them. Colorado did and the Knights, who had many stellar opportunities, came up Code Fail. I love our team but beating the Avs four out of five with two of those at Ball Arena? I guess I can dream.
Julie
I noticed it was Petro who was way out of place causing the first goal to happen. Then, I noticed Roy waited too long to get on Jost who scored the second goal. I didn’t see the third. It seemed Petro got better in the second period. I don’t know the incentive for him if he has a “no move” clause. He can just eff-up when he feels like it and make more Honda commercials.
DOC (Go Knights Go)
F*cking power plays.
F*cking posts.
F*CK … F*CK … FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Richard Santomauro
Bust decisions.
#90 Slow Ass Panda
#7 Putridangelo
Failed to get a better goal scorer.
Vic
Doc sums it up well. Any sign of Nosek so maybe someone can win a face off on the PK and clear the zone instead of allowing CO to spend almost the entire PP in the VGK zone? CO is scoring on 50% (yes 50%) of their playoff PPs. Not good.
DOC (Go Knights Go)
Sorry for the “F” word, not like me …. but:
Just no other way I could convey my disappointment, in yet another game we should have won.
Not dead. Not on lie support, yet, but close.
Richard Santomauro
The VGK lacked aggressiveness and gave up too much space and time on that OT goal. Not much challenge at all, allowing CO room to skate and pass at will to set up that game winner.
Richard Santomauro
I’m not going to sugar coat this. The ONLY way Putridangelo gets out of my dog house is to have the game winning goal and a + rating in every single game remaining in round 2. Worst decision ever by VGK FO to sign him. Great for HONDA though.
B-Rad-Lee
The slash called against Smith was a make-up call by the refs because they missed the double minor against Brown. They were looking for anything to call and made it when the opportunity presented itself.
sb
MAF SA% the last four games – .880, .900, .875, .769. Oh, I know. It’s Lehner’s fault. And it’s BeBoer’s fault. MAF earns $7 million a year for this kind of performance. The other guy, Grubauer, his SA% is .951 and .960 and his team is up 2-0. For $7 million, the Team deserves a goaltender putting up at least .920 SA%. Remember that San Jose game? This big money guy isn’t there for the big games. Time to stop idolizing this guy.
Frank
Nice cherry picking of stats. 2021 playoffs total for MAF. 8 games. 4-4 record. GAA 1.82 SV% .924 SO 1. I’ll take that every day and twice on Sundays. MAF did not face a ton of shots last night, but most were pretty quality. I discount entirely the Lehner game. Grubauer is outplaying Fleury by virtue of posts (5 last night) right now. Both goalies, I’d say are playing pretty darn good. I expect this series to continue to be close and both goalies continue to be excellent. It will be decided by mistakes and capitalizing on opportunities.
Daryl
There is more to a game and performance than stats. Yes, MAF probably should have stopped that last shot but how many high danger chances does VGK give up? How many high danger chances does VGK generate? Comparing MAF to Lehner, how many soft goals does one give up compared to the other? Grubauer has a SA% of .951 because VGK takes 1000 shots but only about 2 or 3 really good shots.
People who use stats only are the ones who usually don’t watch games and use the box scores as their arguments!!!
KT
“Fleury, Grubauer, Vasilevskiy announced as 2020-21 Vezina Trophy finalists …”
You’re right MAF sucks! LMFAO!
Your credibility just like the turd headed for Metro Sewer …..
Daryl
Exactly!!!
DOC (Go Knights Go)
” You probably won’t be around by the time this so called site is up and running!!!”
You continue to show what a despicable person you are!
Be proud!
And remember the group I told you about, that you didn’t believe? It’s grown much larger and you are a big part that drives this new site. People feel so dirty and icky just reading your posts. Thank you for your help!
Daryl
Sry if you took my post the wrong way… I wasn’t saying you would be dead, I mean you won’t be around. You will get tired of everyone showing how delusional you are that your will just go away. You talk about real fans but let’s face it, you are the one who isn’t a real fan. You live in lala land. You only want to hear positive things and you only want to hear things that you agree with. Have fun with than new site. Like I said not much to talk about when everyone agrees with one another. That must be some great conversations. I’m happy here where there is back and forth conversation with people who actually know something about hockey.
And it’s that other site has grown so much as you stated, why are you still here???
DOC (Go Knights Go)
You dumb idiot. I said GROUP not site.
And now you are trying to get out of the horrible thing you said.
24 others, that contacted me, know what you said and meant!
You cannot hide your extreme ugliness, pal.
Daryl
I can give a shit what you and your goonies think. Unless you are hurting someone else I don’t wish others dead. I have no reason to back track at all. If what you said really mattered then you might have a point. So you can keep up with your make believe emails all you want. Have fun with your groupies. Maybe you can find new ways to defend Petra and Lehner and keep blaming the officials for VGK losing.
24 people contacted you???? Damn you are on some good meds. And yeah I meant that exactly how it sounded. I’ve never met someone so delusional as you. It’s actually somewhat comical