Stanley Cup Playoffs: VGK Bounce Back With 3-0 Win Over Dallas In West Finals Game Two
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
It was a different Vegas Golden Knights team that showed up against Dallas for Game 2 Tuesday night.
Looking tired and lethargic after three games in four days, the Knights lost, 1-0, to the Stars Sunday. But two days later, the VGK had more pep in their strides and grit in their play as they scored three goals in the second period on the way to a 3-0 over Dallas in the NHL’s West Finals in the pandemic playoffs in the Edmonton bubble.
The Best-of-7 conference finals is now tied at a game a piece. The VGK-Dallas winner plays the Tampa Bay-Islanders winner for the Stanley Cup at the Roger Place arena.
Paul Stastny, William Karlsson and Tomas Nosek notched goals in period two to break a scoreless tie and give the Golden Knights a three-goal edge after two periods.
VGK goalie Robin Lehner picked up the win with the 24-save shutout, his fourth whitewash of the pandemic playoffs. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, a popular Knights, is seeing more time on the Apple iPhone TV commercial during NHL playoff games these days. He was in net for the VGK 1-0 loss two days ago. Even VGK forward Ryan Reaves, who missed Game 1 for a shot to the head of a Vancouver player on Game 7 in the second round, is in a TV commercial advising Southern Nevada water users to not waste water.
Lehner with the wrap-up on Twitter:
The Knights were much more aggressive in this game compared to the series opener. Dallas physically handled the VGK in Game 1, but Game 2 was different as Vegas had more spark to their skating and hitting. Stastny steered a pass by Dallas goalie Anton Khubodin, Karlsson snapped a wrister home for the second goal and Nosek easily tapped home a goal off some gorgeous passing from Chandler Stephenson and Nic Roy and the VGK had itself a 3-0 lead after two periods.
Dallas pulled goalie Khubodin after the second period and inserted newcomer Jake Oettinger, who made his NHL debut as starter Ben Bishop is injured. Oettinger is a six-foot, five-inch Minnesota product who played at Boston University.
The pink flamingo hit the ice and the Viva Las Vegas song was played after the game. It was an official Golden Knights win.
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