Thatcher Demko had never appeared in an NHL playoff game, to say nothing of an elimination game to boot. So the stage was set.
Vancouver’s #1 goalie, Jacob Markstrom, was ruled unfit to play Game 5, so the path to Round 3 for the VGK seemed like it would just be a mere 60 minutes and then a few days off awaiting the other 3 series to be decided before the Conference Finals. But Demko was not going to be denied his 60 minutes of fame. Most people are allotted 15 minutes, but he got 60 and he used them all well, as he stopped all but one of the 43 shots the VGK peppered him with in a 2-1 Vancouver win. He assured the Canucks a few more days in the Edmonton bubble.
It was a game in which Vancouver didn’t appear to be too interested, at least offensively. They didn’t record a shot on Robin Lehner until more than 10 minutes into the first period. Then it took them more than 12 minutes to get in a shot in the second period. That’s 23 minutes of a 60-minute game with no shots on net. One would think a team facing elimination would have a sense of urgency to create offense, especially knowing they had a complete newbie tending the goal. And as Wayne Gretzky has famously said, “You miss a hundred percent of the shots you don’t take.”
Robin Lehner looked more like a spectator than a player. These kinds of games can be dangerous, as goaltenders like to “feel the puck,” as they say. Long stretches of inactivity are a double-edge sword: Yes, it’s hard for opposing teams to score goals if they’re not getting shots on net, but now the goaltender gets cold from the lack of engagement.
Unfortunately, that came true. Vancouver scored their only two goals of the game on just 12 shots. They eventually wound up with 17 shots for the entire game.
Vegas scored just one goal on their 43 shots and it was a highlight goal — the best talent-wise scored so far in all the NHL’s playoffs games in Edmonton and Toronto. Shea Theodore is emerging as a premier defenseman, not only in the Western Conference, but among all 31 teams.
Theodore danced around 4 Vancouver defenders, starting at the blue line, with the puck on his backhand. He went right to left, then forehand to backhand, then back to forehand, before depositing the biscuit behind Demko. Theodore’s goal gave the VGK a 1-0 lead and in the previous 5 games in this second-round matchup, all have been won by the team scoring first. Plus, VGK was 8-0 when scoring first in Edmonton. But not last night, folks. Vegas followed Gretzky’s advice and took 43 shots, but they got Demkoed.
In fact, Vegas held the lead for exactly 24 seconds. JT Miller, who has been a thorn in the VGK side the entire series, getting assists on the last 6 Vancouver goals, put a perfect saucer pass on the stick of Brock Boeser, who tipped it by Lehner. Vancouver was on the board in a game they shouldn’t have had even a sniff at.
The winning goal was scored by Elias Pettersson in the 3rd period. Vancouver hung on, despite the VGK’s 3rd-period domination of their first four games. They’d held a 17-5 goal differential in the previous 3rd periods, but Demko denied everything they fired at him — except for Theodore’s spectacular goal.
Even shorting his bench and reuniting the line of Smith, Marchessault, and Karlsson in the 3rd period proved no help. It was one of those games similar to Game 4 vs. Chicago where Cory Crawford was not going to get beat, no matter how many shots he faced.
The outcome of this game brings up an interesting coaching decision for both teams. If Markstrom is ruled fit to play for tomorrow’s game, does Coach Travis Green not go back with Demko who was spectacular? Keep in mind Markstrom will be a UFA at the conclusion of the Vancouver season and may not be in Vancouver any longer. Demko may in fact be their goalie going forward. We shall see.
Now to DeBoer. If he stays with his rotation plan of playing Fleury on the 2nd game of the back-to-back, if Robin plays on Thursday and the VGK lose, is Fleury in nets for Vegas for Game 7? Ever since his arrival in Vegas, Coach has said that he plays whoever gives the team the best chance to win. He clearly has shown that he thinks Lehner is that choice. Or does he play Fleury in Game 6 on Thursday and hold Lehner back for the crucial Game 7 if needed?
Vegas is now 1-5 in their last 6 playoff games where they could have clinched a series. They lost 3 to San Jose last year, then 1 to Chicago, and last night’s game to Vancouver. The one game they won was game 5 vs. Chicago that got them into Round 2.
My 3 Stars of the Game: Thatcher Demko (1 goal allowed on 43 shots for a .977 save percentage; Robin’s save percentage was .882), JT Miller (who assisted on both Vancouver goals and has assisted on the last 6 goals scored by Vancouver), Shea Theodore (1 G and it’s one you need to watch; just click the link below).
The next game is tomorrow night at 6:45 p.m.
Your comments and opinions are welcome here at Las Vegas Advisor or you can contact me @ [email protected] or on my Facebook page or the Facebook page of Vegas Hockey Guy or on Twitter@TheRealJoePane
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Jason Hennessey wrote
Lots of shots equates to lots of turnovers. That’s the exact same way the Canucks beat the Blues. Demko seen every shot, and the ones he didn’t see the Canucks blocked.
The Knights forced shots, for the sake of taking a shot, all night out of desperation. And showed very little patience. Which limited any scrambles in front of the net. The Canucks D cleared out everything. Shots on goal is a good tool. But how many were quality chances? Very very few…
Patrick Normand responded with
Jason Hennessey about 43 of them were quality shots wtf are you talking about 😆
Jason Hennessey responded with
chest, chest, butterfly chest, chest, chest, chest chest chest 😆
Don Berman wrote
This was one of those games that VGK just appeared to take for granted. Backup goaltender, who had not started a game since March, 3-1 Knights lead in the series, just wrap it up tonite and move on, etc. But Demko had different ideas. Here’s a guy who had nothing to lose. Everyone expected Canucks would lose, so Demko was relaxed, loose, & as the game went on, he got even more confident, thinking, “hey, we could win this thing.” And they did.
Don Berman, I could not have said it better
Joe P
Michael Mchugh added this comment
give their goalie some credit. Crawford did the same thing last series.
Michael, I made that same reference to Cory Crawford also.
Nolan Dalla added this comment
Great goaltending on the other side though you have to admit
Bryan Sandrock commented with this
I’d like to take a different approach to this… Everyone knows that the Golden Knights put tons of shots on the net, the problem is is that they are tons of poor quality shots and the results it’s simply that they are easy to block and easy to stop therefore we have such a very low percentage of goals as compared to shots. I’d like to see them improve their shot quality by getting the shooters into better shooting positions designed to get the goalkeeper moving across the face of the net as opposed to continuing to shoot at the big walrus standing in front of it.