Knights on Ice — A Puck over the Glass, a Broken Stick, a Blown 2-Goal Lead

What was the real cause of the VGK bowing out of the Western Conference Finals last night in just five games, losing to Dallas in overtime by a score of 3-2?

Was it Zach Whitecloud sending the puck over the glass in overtime, causing the delay-of-game penalty that put Dallas on the power play in overtime?

Was it Paul Stastny breaking his stick during the Dallas power play and with the long change in overtime not being able to get to the bench?

Or was it Vegas blowing a 2-goal lead that they attained just 15 seconds into the 3^rd period on a goal by Reilly Smith?

If I told you it really wasn’t any of these, what would you think?

Truth be told, on paper, the VGK were not supposed to lose this series. They were the better team. They were the favorites in the Western Conference, especially after Dallas beat Colorado. The Stanley Cup Final was already set: Vegas vs. Tampa Bay. All that needed to be done was finish off Dallas to get the Final the NHL wanted. The offensive powerhouse Tampa Bay Lightning would take on the Vegas Golden Knights, only 3 years in the league and appearing in their 2^nd Stanley Cup Final, not to mention a team with the best goaltending duo in the league. The TV ratings would be huge, especially with all the social avoidance happening in the country.

There was only one problem. They don’t play the NHL playoffs on paper. They play it on ice.

There was one other problem. The so-called best goaltending duo wasn’t being used. That’s a story for another day and it will keep the Vegas sports media busy during the offseason.

The VGK’s troubles began in the Vancouver series and it continued right up until last night. Of course, the delay-of-game penalty, the broken stick, and blowing a 2-goal third-period lead didn’t help, but when you’re struggling to score a goal against the backup goaltenders for both Vancouver and Dallas, you have a major problem.

Let these facts sink in.

They needed all seven games to knock Vancouver out of the playoffs. They managed one win against Dallas. They went 2-6 in their last eight games. After scoring 45 goals in their first 12 postseason games, they scored 12 in their last eight games, despite outshooting the opposition 293-172.

They went 3-0-0 in the round-robin portion of the Stanley Cup qualifiers to earn the top seed in the Western Conference, defeating the Chicago Blackhawks in five games in the first round and taking a 3-1 lead against the Vancouver Canucks in the second.

At that point, they were 10-2-0 in the postseason. Then the bottom fell out.

Some kid named Demko almost ruined the party prematurely. He didn’t, but then Dallas as a team and their own backup goaltender did. Add to the mix the passion and will of Jamie Benn, who showed what a captain is about when you’re playing in a series you’re told you have no business winning.

The Golden Knights were outscored 9-8 in the Western Conference Finals and each of their four losses was by one goal, including two in overtime. The Stars are 10-1-0 in one-goal games and 5-0 in games decided after regulation in the postseason.

Vegas lost for the first time in the Stanley Cup playoffs when leading entering the third period (5-1). Dallas won for the second time in the postseason when trailing going into the third (2-7-0). The Knights outshot the Stars 166-118 in the series.

I hate to tell you this, but Dallas was the better team and deserved to win and play for the Stanley Cup.

Now let’s look at the adversity Dallas faced to get them just 4 wins away from the Cup.

They fell behind 3-0 in Game 6 against the Calgary Flames in the first round, only to rally for a 7-3 win.

They were down 2-0 against the Colorado Avalanche in Game 2 of the second round and came back for a 5-2 win.

They lost Games 5 and 6 to the Avalanche, then allowed a goal that put them behind 4-3 with 3:40 remaining in the third period of Game 7, only to have Kiviranta score 10 seconds later and win it in overtime, completing the unlikeliest of hat tricks.

Good teams find different ways to win when their backs are pressed up against a wall. Dallas scored timely goals, while successfully shutting down the offense of the VGK. Even Lehner recording a league-high 4 shutouts in the playoffs wasn’t enough. Shea Theodore can only score so many goals. Zach Whitecloud can only do so much. Yes, I know he committed a penalty that played a major part in the overtime goal. But it should have never gotten to that point. Good teams with their sights set on the Stanley Cup Final do not blow 2-goal leads to a team like Dallas that doesn’t exactly fill the net with pucks and, as a matter of fact, doesn’t generate a whole lot of offense period.

Zach Whitecloud played his ass off in these playoffs. He’ll be a bright light on the blueline for this team for hopefully a few years. This one penalty should not be hung on him.

If you want to pin a tail on the donkey, there’s a big wide ass where you can pin your tail. Lack of scoring, lack of passion, lack of taking Dallas as a formidable opponent. They also did that with Vancouver and barely survived. The round against Chicago was a total mismatch and that may have caused them to believe they’d have a walk in the park to the Stanley Cup Final.

There may be another place to pin the tail.

The drama that percolated in the bubble in Edmonton didn’t help. We may never know what effect it had in the locker room, but when DeBoer was hired, his pitch was that he pushed the right buttons in the playoffs. General manager Kelly McCrimmon said in a statement that DeBoer could “help us achieve our ultimate goal.”

So I ask you now. What is your opinion? Did he push the right buttons on who to play in nets?

Don’t get me wrong. I believe both Lehner and Fleury are solid goaltenders, but was this a distraction to the team? Was this the right button to push or did egos get in the way? Did Fleury’s agent back DeBoer into a corner to where Pete let his ego get the best of him? Or was the ultimate goaltending choice by the committee of George McPhee, Kelly McCrimmon, and Pete DeBoer?

I think we’ll have the answer to these questions in the very near future as the VGK plans unfold, especially in the area of the blue paint, but also whether or not we’ll see a vote of confidence for DeBoer from above.

In my last post after Game 4, I said that the VGK were on the verge of imploding. I hate that my thoughts and words came true. They did in fact implode and they have no one to blame but themselves. Unless of course, you know exactly where to pin that tail on the ass of the donkey.

I would like to say in closing it has been an honor and a privilege to cover the VGK for you. I appreciate all who have read my blogs, especially those who offered feedback and comments good or bad.

I know this is not how you wanted it to end, but only one team can win and just wasn’t the VGK’s year. Please stay safe as we look forward to the 2020-2021 season, whenever it may start.

Your comments and opinions are welcome here at Las Vegas Advisor or you can contact me at [email protected] or on my Facebook page or the Facebook page of Vegas Hockey Guy or on Twitter @TheRealJoePane

Stephenson’s goal for the VGK 1-0 lead

Reilly Smith’s Goal for the 2-0 VGK lead

The winning goal in overtime