There is nothing quite like the pageantry of the Stanley Cup Finals, all of the pomp and circumstance surrounding the chase for the greatest trophy in sports is nothing short of a thrill to witness. As referee Chris Rooney very monotonely put it prior to puck drop “Look around boys. What’s better than this?”
It did not take long to prove Rooney right, as Ehlers and the Hurricanes came out swinging with a goal past the glove hand of sex criminal Carter Hart within 25 seconds of puck drop. The quick goal to open the period became a theme for the game, with a goal at the 30 second mark of the 2nd period, and a goal less than two minutes into the third.
Another theme for the game was wild swings of momentum. The Hurricanes quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead, both goals coming from Nikolaj Ehlers. VGK was smothered in the 1st period, yet they miraculously went to the locker room only down 2-1. The 2nd period was a completely different story, as the Knights promptly tied the game, and then took the lead less than 5 minutes later, with goals courtesy of Barbashev and Karlsson. The latter goal coming courtesy of a nasty pass from a resurgent Mitch Marner.
It seemed that Vegas had all of the momentum and had sucked the energy out of the raucous home crowd, before Jordan Stall equalized the game and injected the crowd with new life.
Despite the equalizer from Stall, it still felt like The Knights carried the momentum into the 3rd, where they quickly capitalized with a goal from Howden. Vegas carried the play for the majority of the 3rd period, a position that The Hurricanes and their relentless forecheck are more accustomed to being in. Despite looking outclassed, Gostisbehere was able to tie the game following a face off win that came as the result of a VERY questionable icing call on VGK. It felt as if the momentum had once again shifted to Carolina, but Vegas was able to weather the storm before Hertl ultimately scored the game winning goal with 3 minutes left in the 3rd. Carolina had one last chance with less than 10 seconds to go. After winning a faceoff in the VGK zone, Nikishin wound up a rocket from the point that looked destined for the back of the net, before it was ultimately blocked by the knee of Marner (who seemingly was attempting to get out of the way of the puck).
Ultimately, it was an excellent 1st game of the Stanley Cup Finals, even if the evil empire in Las Vegas triumphed. Credit to Vegas for creating space to operate and breaking the relentless Carolina pressure on several occasions last night. Carolina did its part offensively, but their patented forecheck pressure and defense that got them to this point let them down in a big way last night. It was also a less than stellar performance from Frederick Andersen, who I believe is the key to this series for Carolina. If they can get even average goaltending from him going forward, I believe they will be able to bounce back from last night’s crushing defeat to win the series. Here’s hoping we get 6 more games just like the one we had the pleasure of watching last night.
Steve’s Writings 