Nate Schmidt played no part in the scoring that beat the Winnipeg Jets by a score of 3-1 to even the Conference Final series at 1-1. And what he accomplished might go unnoticed by the casual hockey fan who didn’t watch the game and simply checks the Internet or local paper for the box score and final results.
Those will show that Schmidt had 2 shots on goal, 2 blocked shots, and 1 takeaway while playing 23:17 of ice time. This looks like a normal night for a defenseman, but nothing could be further from the truth. Schmidt’s hockey stick appeared to be 8 feet long in last night’s game, always in the passing lanes, always preventing uncontested shots on Fleury. He even had a 200-foot rush that resulted in a quality scoring chance on Connor Hellebuyck. This kind of Bobby Orr end-to-end rush is rarely seen by a defenseman these days — unless his name is Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators.
But make no mistake. Nate isn’t in the lineup for his offensive skills, even though he did have a huge goal in Game 6 vs. San Jose. Still, he was instrumental in keeping the explosive offense of the Winnipeg Jets from taking control, not only of this game, but the series itself; a Winnipeg win last night would have forced the Golden Knights to win 4 of the remaining 5 games. Now, with the series tied at 1-1, 3 of the next 4 games will be played in Las Vegas at T-Mobile Arena. Winnipeg may have their “Whiteout,” which, by the way, was noticeably quiet for most of the game. But Vegas has “Knight Time,” which, if you haven’t noticed or heard, shakes the entire arena. The team feeds off the energy that Knights fans bring to every home game.
Once again, Coach Gallant proved that he can work magic with his team, no matter who he plugs into the lineup. After Game 1, he said in a calm and reassuring voice that he needs all 20 guys working and he felt he didn’t have that in the loss. The 20-plus players at his disposal heard him loud and clear. Also, he added Tomas Tatar and Tomas Nosek in the lineup; they replaced Oscar Lindberg, a healthy scratch, and David Perron, who according to Gallant wasn’t feeling well.
The Tomases stepped up to have an impact, especially Tatar, who has seemed to prefer playing offense rather than fore-check, which had earned him a seat in the press box instead of one on the bench. Tatar not only scored Vegas’ first goal last night, he put on a clinic in fore-checking. He knocked down Patrik Laine’s attempted breakout pass to keep the puck deep in the Winnipeg zone, then out-muscled Paul Stastny for possession of the puck deep in the corner to Hellebuyck’s right. The puck slid up the boards to Ryan Carpenter, while Tatar headed around the back of the net to Hellebuyck’s left. Carpenter passed the puck to Shea Theodore, who had moved in deeper to the top of the faceoff circle on the aggressive fore-check that Vegas didn’t possess in Game 1. Actually, on the previous two shifts, the Vegas fore-check was giving Winnipeg all sorts of trouble. This time, it resulted in a goal, as Tatar’s original shot off the pass from Theodore hit the side of the net and went behind it. Tatar took the puck off the back wall and brought it back to the front of the net. Hellebuyck made the initial save on Tatar, but when he failed to cover the puck, Tatar reached around and pushed it in for the 1-0 lead.
Last night was Tatar’s first playoff goal since 2015. It was also just his fifth playoff game for Vegas out of the 12 played so far. In Detroit, he didn’t have to earn his ice time. With this team, everyone has to earn their ice time, even those acquired for three high draft picks. Not only doesn’t Gallant play favorites, he never feels obligated to play someone just because GM George McPhee paid a lot to get him.
This has always been a 20-man effort. You work hard, you earn your ice time.
Tomas Nosek, the other addition to last night’s lineup, had 3 shots on goal and 2 blocked shots and was an integral part of the resurrected fore-check. Along with having a very valuable 11:10 minutes of ice time, he also played 2:24 seconds on the penalty kill, which killed off 2 of Winnipeg’s 3 power plays.
This game was yet another example of a complete team effort, as all four lines were engaged, allowing Gallant the luxury of wave after wave of his 18 skaters giving the Jets trouble in creating offense. The one goal they did score was a complete fluke that I’m 100% sure Fleury would stop the next 100 times the same exact shot came at him. It first hit the top of his right pad, then bounced up to the VGK logo on his chest, and somehow slid between his arm and the post.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Jonathan Marchessault’s amazing night, especially considering that his giveaway in Game 1 led to Winnipeg’s first goal, from which Vegas never recovered. He seemed to take full personal responsibility for that loss and determined to make a statement last night. It came through loud and clear, particularly with the help of Reilly Smith who had 3 takeaways, of which 2 directly contributed to Marchessault’s goals.
Marchessault, who established a career high during the regular season with 27-48—75 (77 GP), leads all Golden Knights players with 6-9—15 this postseason. He became the 10th player in NHL history to collect at least 15 points in his club’s first trip to the playoffs.
The entire line of Marchessault, Smith, and Karlsson was once again a catalyst for the offensive output that Vegas has had in their first 12 games of the playoffs. This line has 41 points so far in the playoffs.
Even though the next two games are at T-Mobile, don’t get too far ahead of yourself. Home ice hasn’t been a huge advantage to the home teams. With the VGK’s road victory last night, the visiting teams own a 38-33 playoff record on the road. Indeed, Winnipeg has now lost three of their last four home games, after having won the previous 13. Winnipeg had the best home record among the 31 NHL teams.
The VGK haven’t lost two games in a row during these playoffs. They’re now 3-0 following a loss.
Last night was Fleury’s 71st career playoff win.
In Game 1 of this series, Vegas had only 21 shots on Hellebuyck; in last night’s game, they had 21 after two periods and 28 through three.
As the rest of the NHL and the hockey pundits wait for the VGK bubble to burst, we keep on seeing a good team that doesn’t get rattled, even in a building where it’s not easy to play.
Tomorrow night, the entire NHL will be watching your team. They might figure out that the VGK are here because of hard work and team work, along with the support they receive from the most loyal and passionate fans I’ve ever seen. Keep it up! Your team needs you. With just three more wins, everyone will be wondering how in the world this could happen.
VGK scorers: Tatar (1), Marchessault (5-6)
My three stars of the game: Nate Schmidt, Jonathan Marchessault, and Reilly Smith.
Game 3 is Wednesday at 6 p.m. at T-Mobile. BE LOUD! Show the entire country that Vegas is the new HOCKEYTOWN.
Never miss another post