Last night the VGK scored 3 unanswered goals in the 3rd period for a come-from-behind 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Canucks. Vegas now needs one more victory to advance to the Western Conference Finals for the 2nd time in their young 3-year history. Pretty impressive, if you ask me. Who knows if it could have been 3 straight years to the Western Conference finals if it hadn’t been for a blown call against Peter DeBoer’s San Jose Sharks in Game 7 last year.
This 3rd-period comeback should be no surprise. The VGK have outscored their opponents 17-5 in in the 3rd periods of this year’s playoffs. Vancouver was 6-0 in this year’s playoffs when they entered the 3rd period with a lead. Vegas ended that streak.
What is a total surprise is that Vancouver coach Travis Green is being outcoached. If you’re wondering what Pete DeBoer has done to outcoach Travis, truth be told, someone other than DeBoer is outcoaching him.
Ryan Reaves.
It’s not a written rule in the NHL, but it’s an unwritten rule about coaches engaging in trash-talking with opposing players. It’s not supposed to happen. Ever.
But Travis Green’s team has taken 2 penalties for too many players on the ice in the last 2 games. Both of these penalties have resulted in VGK power-play goals. This particular penalty sits squarely on the shoulders of the head coach — the one telling players who is up next on the line change.
Green can be clearly seen responding to Reaves’ trash-talking. Instead, he should be preparing the next line change. Reaves causes havoc on the ice with his booming checks and relentless forecheck, then returns to the bench and gets the opposing coach to pay more attention to him than keeping his team focused. Outcoached by a 4th line forward? You cannot let something like this happen. The last time an opposing coach did this in a game vs. the VGK, the coach was Peter DeBoer with the San Jose Sharks. Coach Gallant called DeBoer a “clown” for doing that. Funny how things come full circle sometimes.
But Travis Green is also being outcoached by DeBoer. The Canucks, along with the VGK, will be playing 3 games in 4 days and Green has shortened his bench, playing only 9 forwards. DeBoer, with a team deep in talent, just keeps on rolling 4 lines of all 12 forwards and 6 defensemen. The only player he didn’t use last night was Robin Lehner, who sat out for only the 2nd time in their first 9 games. Panda sat out Game 3 in Round 1 vs. Chicago and was on the bench last night for the 2nd game of a back-to-back.
Yes, Marc-André Fleury returned to the blue paint last night in this ever-confusing goaltender saga. I was somewhat surprised. I thought, how do you sit Panda after he pitches a shutout in the last game, along with 2 shutouts in the first 3 games of Round 2?
But Fleury was in net last night and made 28 saves in his first start since a 2-1 win against the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the first round on Aug. 15. With his 81st career playoff win, Fleury took over sixth place on the list of all-time postseason victories among goaltenders.
Fleury tends to do well when he’s playing a lot, but with 15 days between starts, he seemed tentative during the first period and was beaten by a wicked snapshot over his outstretched glove by Elias Pettersson. McNabb might have hindered Fleury’s view of the puck, but it might have been a shot that was going to beat him no matter what. Like the true sniper that he is, Pettersson waited patiently before snapping the puck past Fleury.
The other 2 goals that Vancouver scored in the 2nd period to take a 3-2 lead could not be blamed on Fleury. And halfway through the 2nd period with the scored tied at 2-2, Fleury made an amazing save on Pettersson, who once again snapped a wicked shot a mere 15 feet in front of Fleury and with his cat-like reflexes, Fleury slid right to left and picked this one off with his glove. It was vintage Fleury and it kept the score at 2-2. If Pettersson scores there, when Vancouver scores another goal a short time later, the game would have been 4-2 instead of 3-2 entering the 3rd period. A huge save and a critical moment, not only the game, but in the series. Up 3 games to 1 is a huge advantage over a 2-2 series.
Fleury is undefeated in the playoffs this year: 3-0, a 2.67 GAA, and a .893 save percentage. Not the best numbers, but he’s been good when he needed to be.
Max Pacioretty and Nate Schmidt scored huge goals for the VGK in the 3rd period and William Karlsson added an insurance goal to put the final score at 5-3. The VGK scored their 3 goals in the third period in just a span of 5:37 on just 5 shots.
Max Pacioretty, who is alleged to be playing at less than 100%, has scored 5 goals in his last 5 games. Since joining the VGK, Max has scored 10 goals with 5 assists against Vancouver in just 10 games.
The team scoring first in this series has consistently won every game. Last night, we actually had a lead change for the first time in 4 games.
Plain and simple, Vegas is too deep a team for Vancouver to handle, especially when your coach isn’t playing all of his players and is more concerned about Ryan Reaves than making sure he has 5 skaters on the ice when it’s a 5 on 5.
“Even if he’s not starting, Flower’s a big part of our room,” Nate Schmidt said post-game. “So when he gets in there, the guys are pretty fired up, especially in a back-to-back. It gets the bench excited to go out there and get one for him.”
“I knew with [Fleury] in there, the guys would play hard for him, and you could tell going into the third that they were going to make a push,” DeBoer said. “They didn’t like the spot they put him in in the second period. He’s such an important part of our group and the effort our guys gave in a back-to-back situation, a third game in four nights, in the third period, showed what they think of him.”
My 3 Stars of the Game: Max Pacioretty (2 G, 1 A, and the game-winning goal), Shea Theodore (2 A and 5 shots on goal, a defenseman who isn’t shy about getting involved in the offense), Mark Stone (3 A).
Next game is Game 5 tomorrow night at 6:45 on NBC Sports Network.
Your comments and opinions are welcome here at Las Vegas Advisor or you can reach me at [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
How is Debouer “rolling all four lines”, where apparently Green “shortened his bench”? ….Vegas’ entire fourth line played less then 10 mins while the only Canuck that played less than 10 was Antoine Rousell. And most likely he’d have played more then 10 if he didn’t take a 2 min minor.
As for “outcoaching” that may very well be …. though the only difference between him and Green is that the Canucks actually have a team with drafted, young players, developed in the system, and on the team… how many draftees have the Knights produced? 3 years in the league and not a single drafted player on their roster. How’s that team going to look in a year or two with an aging core and a maxed out salary cap? They Better get the “good coaching” in now… once the valves shut off they’ll be relocation talk in the Vegas air.
Jason Hennessey, you do realize that this is a team that’s only 3 years old. Most draft picks take years to develop to the big club unless it the first or second pick overall. Vegas’ entire roster from year one was players drafted in the expansion draft. One of their top picks Cody Glass played a number of games this season and is not currently playing because of a knee injury
Another one of their top draft picks is playing big minutes in Montreal who was part of the Pacioretty trade who happens to be the VGK top scorer this year. Another one of their top picks is in Ottawa which helped in getting Mark Stone to Las Vegas.
Joe P
Jason replied back
Joe Pane And traded away high-end talent in Nick Suzuki and Brannstrom. Believe me, you don’t need to tell me the first round futility of Knights management in 2017…
As well…. “years to develop”… define “years to develop” as you said, it’s been 3?
28 picks, total, 4 of which have played games, 2 of which have only played games for the Knights. And all the while no AHL team, nor ECHL affiliate
So instead of having an eye for the future. Added aged stars in Pacioretty and Stone and committed 104 million to them instead.
Zack Kirsch replied to Jason
Someone is “SALTY” AF”
That’s freaking hilarious. Stone at 28 is just starting his prime hockey years, those years when skill and experience come together and Patches is only 31. If he stays healthy, he can go another 7- 8 years.
Zack Kirsch replied to Jason
Someone is “SALTY” AF”
Jason Hennessey if they win the cup will you admit that these moves paid off?
Jason Hennessey commented back
Joe Pane, I’ll do about as admitting to the moves have paid off as you can admitting your writing is false
Jason Hennessey, it’s my opinion so it’s not “FALSE” Travis Green was more interested in trash-talking with Reaves than getting no more than 5 players on the ice. Just admit the Vegas is the better team and will defeat the Vancouver team. As Zack says stop being so SALTY. I didn’t add-in AF
I was really glad to see Marc play last night. Nothing against Robin, who has gotten two shut outs, but the Kn8ghts are Marc’s team and he is one of their leaders. Everyone I talked to were upset that he wasnt being played. And the whole thing with the post his agent did, just doesn’t sound like Marc. His agent may have said, I am upset you arent getting played and I will see what I can do to get you some attention. But I don’t see him seeing and saying ok to it a head of time. Marc is a loyal guy and his agent made him look bad. Hopefully everybody is over it now. I like what DeBoer said about Marc after the game! And Nate, always a loyal friend of Marc came through for him too. After last night, I am back to feeling much better about team management!
Darcy, I’m 100% with you on this topic that keeps on coming up and with last night loss in-game 5, when will Fleury be back in the “Blue Paint” I wrote about this in my article that will be published on Wednesday morning here at LVA
Joe P
You say that coaches shouldn’t engage with players in trash talk – what should have been stated (if you weren’t a Vegas fan), was that players should not trash talk coaches! Clearly Green told Big Mouth Reaves to stop involving him in his babyish taunts. That’s not a coach engaging a player, that’s a coach responding to being involved in classless mouthing off by a disrespectful player.
Erin, I hear your point but Green best course of action if in fact, Reaves started it which we really don’t know is to not even respond. By letting Reaves see that he is getting to you only encourages it further
Vern Price sent this comment in
Again an outstanding article I am learning so much reading your post keep it up