Thursday night there are two play-off games on the slate. In the late game, the Vancouver Canucks will face off against the Vegas Golden Knights for Game 3 in this series. Both teams have so far scored one big win, which of the two will take the lead in the Western Conference semi-final series?
Vancouver Canucks: tied the series
The Vancouver Canucks were seen by both the media and hockey fans as a team that can be a serious contender to win the Stanley Cup in a few years time, but if they can surprise the Vegas Golden Knights, the pieces may already fall together this year. The Canucks are young, talented and turned out to be one of the positive surprises of this years Stanley Cup Playoffs. The hockey team took full advantage of the one-time change in the format of the playoffs and was responsible for the biggest upset in the first-round series by eliminating the current title holders, the St. Louis Blues.
The confidence with which the Canucks went up against the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 was immediately shattered 'cause The Vancouver Canucks were shut out by the Vegas Golden Knights 5-0 in that first game. Vancouver recovered somewhat surprisingly but strong in Game 2 with a 5-2 win over Vegas. The Canucks mainly owed the win to goalie Jakob Markstrom, who made 38 saves on 40 shots.
Vegas Golden Knights: surprised by Vancouver
The Vegas Golden Knights were bombed by the bookies as the favorite to win the Stanley Cup after their convincing and dominant play in the first round of the playoffs against the Chicago Blackhawks. The Golden Knights boosted their favorite status with a 5-0 shutout win in Game 1 of the second round against the Vancouver Canucks. Vegas played a lot sloppier in the second game this Tuesday night and that resulted in a 5-2 defeat, with which the Canucks tied their Western Conference semifinal series at one game apiece.
The defeat shifted the focus to social media controversy for the second time in a week. First there was the incident with goalie Marc-André Fleury's agent, who posted a critical tweet of head coach Peter DeBoer and after the 5-2 defeat against Vancouver, Jonathan Marchessault drew negative attention to himself. The winger went off on Instagram commenters, who called him a diver. He later removed the reactions and apologized, but it wasn't exactly smart.
Vegas in regulation
The question is whether the Golden Knights can get the full focus on Game 3 after the two incidents earlier this week. Goalie Lehner still seems to be DeBoer's Nr. 1 goalie despite the fact that he allowed four goals in Game 2. The Swedish goalie could hardly be blamed for most of these goals, 'cause it was mainly due to Vegas' poor defense play.
The Golden Knights also dominated Game 2 but multiple shots on goal were blocked. If they reduce the number of penalties and defend better, I expect that with their dominant game tonight they will have more 'puck luck' and take the win. The Golden Knights dominated Game 2 just like the first game against Vancouver, but the difference was that many shots were now blocked. If they reduce the number of penalties and defend better, I expect that with their dominant way of playing, they will have more 'puck luck' tonight and take the win.
