Knights on Ice — Frustrating And Demoralizing

It’s frustrating to have come this far and now be faced with a task that may seem impossible. But is it really? After all, we’re talking about the Vegas Golden Knights. The impossible started in October and continued right up until May 30, with Vegas suffering its first loss in the Stanley Cup Final in Game 2 when Braden Holtby made “The Save.” I wondered if we’d all look back on that as the turning point of this magical run. I hope I’m wrong, but right now it is.

If the Golden Knights had won Game 2, the mindsets of both teams would have been completely different. Washington’s task would have been to win four of the remaining five games, with two at T-Mobile where the VGK have been a force. This might have been demoralizing to a team that has a pedigree of playoff failure in their 44-year history. The other side of this coin would be a team that has defied all logic in the eight months of their existence and proven many, if not all, hockey pundits wrong.

Now, for the first time this year, the VGK are facing adversity. Impossible? No. Unlikely? Yes. Only one team in NHL history has come back when trailing a Stanley Cup Final series three games to one — the 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs. The other 32 teams, faced with what Vegas is now looking at, failed to accomplish what Toronto did.

Then again, the VGK have been breaking NHL records the entire season. Some of them are 100 years old. Toronto’s comeback was only 76 years ago.

Granted, it’s disheartening to suffer only three losses total in the first three rounds (out of 15 games) and now have three losses in the round that determines who hoists the ultimate prize. Up until last night, the last time the VGK lost three games in a row was all the way back on November 28 to December 1. They’ve never lost four in a row and on Thursday night at T-Mobile, they’ll attempt to keep that record intact.

You never want to trail in a playoff series, especially 3-1. But if there’s one team to which Vegas wants to be down 3-1, it’s the Washington Capitals. Here are just a few of their playoff collapses over the years.

1985: In a best-of-five series, Washington led 2-0, only to lose the next three games to the New York Islanders.

1987: They led the New York Islanders 3-1 and lost the next three.

1992: They led the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-1 and lost Games 5, 6, and 7.

1995: Another blown 3-1 series lead to the Penguins.

1996: After winning the first two games against Pittsburgh, they lost four in a row.

2010: They blew a 3-1 series lead to the Montreal Canadiens.

In Game 4 last night, Vegas played their best so far in this series, especially in the first 10 minutes. They had Washington on their heels. If it hadn’t been for the goal post, Vegas could have easily been ahead by three. Marc-Andre Fleury had his share of good fortune with the post and crossbars during the first three rounds. Last night, Braden Holtby used them to perfection.

Vegas had 30 shots on Holtby, while Washington managed to score six goals on just 23 shots on Fleury. By no means am I blaming Fleury for all of these goals, in which lost coverages and good bounces played a part. Their three power-play goals in five attempts really put Vegas in a hole. The fact that Vegas went 0-4 on their power play also didn’t help their cause. Once again last night, it appeared that Vegas was looking for the perfect shot on Holtby, instead of just getting it on net, then looking for a rebound or deflection on the initial shot.

Washington did a good job of limiting the shooting lanes and blocked 24 shots, only two less than in Game 3.

Vegas was much more engaged in a game they knew they needed to win. They had 71 shots attempts, compared to 41 by Washington.

In my opinion, the momentum of the game changed after James Neal missed a wide-open net just 4:31 seconds into the first period with the VGK on the power play. Vegas seems to control games when they score early in the game.

But Washington scored first. Actually, they scored three times in 9:45 to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the first. Washington scored once in the second period to take a 4-0 lead.

Vegas appeared to regain some life with two goals in the third, by James Neal and Reilly Smith, to cut the lead to two goals with 7:34 left in the period.

Washington responded quickly when Michal Kempny scored 1:13 after Smith cut the lead to two. Brett Connolly closed the scoring with Washington’s third power-play goal with just 1:09 left in the game.

The Washington power play has been the difference so far in this series, scoring four goals in 12 attempts. Actually, it has made the difference throughout the playoffs, with 21 power-play goals in 23 playoff games so far.

There’s no longer any room for error. Vegas will now be faced with the task of having to play near-perfect hockey in Game 5 to beat a very good Washington team. One shift at a time, one period at a time. That’s what needs to be done: Win Game 5 and then we’ll deal with Game 6. A win on Thursday will open the closet door that’s filled with Washington’s playoff skeletons.

Bottom line: It’s not impossible with our team. They lifted an entire city when it was as low as it had ever gone. Winning Thursday night seems like something this team can do. They’ll feed off the energy of their loyal fans who’ll once again rock T-Mobile. Give this team all that you have because they have given us all they’ve had in the last eight months. It’s not supposed to end like this. Let’s lift them up just like they have lifted us. Be there, be loud, and be proud of an amazing team no matter what.

Go Knights Go!

VGK scorers: James Neal (6), Reilly Smith (4)

My 3 stars of the game: Evgeny Kuznetsov, 4 assists; TJ Oshie, 1 goal, 2 assists; Nicklas Backstrom, 3 assists.

Game 5 takes place Thursday June 7 at 5p.m. Pacific Time.