Wonder if Gallant makes any changes to the lineup. (Photo Credit: SinBin.vegas Photographer Brandon Andreasen)
NBC announcers Joe Micheletti and Pierre McGuire used words like panic, upset and frustrated to describe the Golden Knights in Game 1. In the first period, Micheletti even said “Winnipeg is the quicker team” and he wasn’t wrong, at that time. The Jets deserve a ton of credit jumping on Vegas early and winning the series opener.
However, outside of the first twenty minutes of play, the final numbers tell a different story. The Golden Knights average game stats were all out of whack but can take away some positives.
Shots on goal
VGK – 21
WPG – 26
- Vegas tied their lowest SOG total over the entire regular season and postseason
- First game this season without a shot from Erik Haula, Colin Miller, James Neal and David Perron
- First game since 2/21 (loss at Wild) that James Neal failed to register a shot on net
- Colin Miller now has four postseason games without a shot on net
- David Perron has three postseason games without a shot on net
Giveaways
VGK – 11
WPG – 14
- Third highest total of giveaways in a playoff
- Vegas is 1-3 when they turn the puck over 10+ times in a game
Takeaways
VGK – 1
WPG – 10
- Lowest amount of takeaways for Vegas in a postseason game
Power plays
VGK – 1/2
WPG – 2/4
- Least amount of Vegas PP shots in postseason
- Vegas is 0-2 this postseason when PK allows 2 or more goals
- Vegas 0/3 in PP faceoffs
Faceoff Win Percentage
VGK – 44%
WPG – 56%
- Second lowest Face Off win percentage for Vegas in the postseason
- Vegas is 3-2 in playoff games when FOW% is 44 or lower
- Vegas was 0% on PP Faceoffs
Blocked + Missed Shots
VGK – 36
WPG – 19
The Golden Knights will shrug off last night and look to move on tomorrow. Game 1 of the Conference finals is a tough game for any road team to win. Slow starts and being off team averages can only make it harder.
I’ll make two guarantees for Monday’s Game 2. First, Vegas will come out strong in the first 10 minutes. Second, Neal, Perron, Haula, and Miller will be determined to create offense. Taking them away will be another focus for the Golden Knights. A win can change the series.
Slr1982
What happened yesterday was not unexpected. The Jets are still flying high after the Nashville series. The Knights felt what happened to the Sharks in the last round. The Jets carried the emotions, highs and momentum from last series. All season long the Knights have adjusted and moved on. They will in this series. They may not ultimately win this series but it will go 6-7 games. They will challenge and compete. Vegas fans have to remember the Knights have no history, that means we can’t have unfair expectations that lead to disappointment. What the have given this city is far more than was expected. Win or lose the Knight belong in this final group of 4 and the margin between winning and losing, moving on or going home is small. Hockey is a game of emotions, breaks and team effort. Anyone who has played this game knows that a 7 games series is not decided by one game, especially 1 played in the opposing teams rink to open the series. The Knights did beat the Jets 2 out of 3 during the regular season.
Jim Nick
“Tip of the hat” for a great first season. Consensus says Vegas had an off night…well, so did the Jets. They can – and will – play way better.
Speed kills…
Go Jets!
John Abbot
One thing the Knights have a problem with is scoring against goaltenders taller than 6 feet. They like to shoot high. They lost all their games against the Wild,had trouble with Bishop and the Stars, and lost badly to Smith and Calgary at least once. Brad Hunt is talented but is too small to be a D, he has no reach and I’ve seen opposing forwards skate rings around him all year/ On a brighter note, the Knights are probably the only team that has never lost more 2 games in a row all season, never had a losing streak. They know how to correct mistakes fast. They led there division by a larger margin than any other division by season end. They could win it all , but the Caps seem to be surging