Throughout their first three playoff series
Breeland Speaks Jersey , the Vegas Golden Knights were defined by smart decisions and dazzling plays.
In the Stanley Cup Final, their mistakes have drawn most of the attention.
Vegas made too many errors in its own end of the ice and scored just one gift-wrapped goal Saturday night in a 3-1 loss to the Washington Capitals, who
never trailed in taking a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.
There were missed assignments, botched passes and only 22 shots on goal. The Golden Knights hardly looked like the team that steamrolled its way to the
Western Conference championship with a 12-3 record.
After opening the Final with a 6-4 victory, Vegas lost Game 2 when Alex Tuch failed to convert a wonderful scoring chance in the waning minutes. There was
more trouble coming as the series arrived in Washington.
On Saturday night, after the Golden Knights closed to 2-1 early in the third period, the Capitals restored the two-goal cushion when Jay Beagle outworked
Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore in the corner, gained possession of the puck and
sent a centering pass that Devante Smith-Pelly slammed into the net at
13:53.
”It didn’t go his way tonight,” left wing David Perron said of Theodore. ”You just have to move forward and turn the page.”
Ditto for the rest of the Golden Knights, who now trail in a playoff series after three games for the first time.
”It’s all on us right now
Cheap Derrius Guice Jersey ,” Deryk Engelland said. ”We’ve just got to tighten it up and get going on the ice.”
After becoming only the third NHL team to win multiple playoff series in its inaugural season, Vegas charged into the Final looking to extend its
unprecedented run of success.
It started well in Game 1, and there seemed no reason to panic after the subsequent 3-2 defeat. But the Golden Knights’ downturn continued Saturday
night, when they too often let goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury contend for himself
and failed to mount much of a threat against Braden Holtby on the other end.
In one telling sequence, Alex Ovechkin opened the scoring early in the second period as he was falling over Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb. It happened only
after Fleury slid from side to side, frantically making three saves in the
sequence before Ovechkin connected.
”It’s a team game,” said Fleury, who had 23 saves. ”I just try to do my job the best I can.”
Vegas has lost two straight for the first time since early April, when it dropped the final two meaningless games of the regular season. The Golden
Knights are struggling on both ends of the ice, and at this point they can’t
explain why.
”We didn’t play good in the neutral zone
Cheap Jessie Bates III Jersey , turned a lot of pucks over and fed their offense,” said Tomas Nosek, who scored Vegas’ only goal. ”Also, the back-check
was not good enough.”
Vegas still has a chance to become the first expansion team to win the Stanley Cup. But when the Final is tied at one game apiece, the winner of Game 3
ultimately has gone on to capture the Cup 78 percent of the time (21 of 27)
since the series went to the best-of-seven format in 1939.
The only deficit the Golden Knights faced before this was in the Western Conference finals, when they lost the opener to Winnipeg before rattling off
four straight wins.
”Tonight it was a close hockey game,” coach Gerard Gallant said. ”It was 2-1 late in the (third) period, and then that unfortunate turnover goal.”
To be fair, the Golden Knights’ goal came in similar fashion. After Holtby did a poor job of clearing the puck from behind the Capitals net, Nosek easily
scored to slice Washington’s lead to 2-1 at 3:29 of the third period.
But Vegas had already dug a hole that was too deep.
”They came out in the first period and set the tone
Mike McGlinchey Youth Jersey ,” Gallant said. ”We were chasing them from behind again tonight.”
That is the predicament Vegas now faces in the series, with Game 4 on Monday night.
”We’ve got to find a way to bounce back and put this behind us,” Perron said.
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More Stanley Cup coverage:
There’s been little question that Arizona’s Deandre Ayton is the best of a potential-filled group of bigs at the top of Thursday’s NBA draft.
Ayton was a force in his lone college season and looks like the favorite to land with Phoenix as the No. 1 overall pick. Behind him are several talented big
men including Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson, Texas’ Mo Bamba and Duke’s Wendell
Carter Jr., who like Ayton all played just one year in college and could all
hear their name called in the first 10 selections.
Here’s a look at the top prospects:
DEANDRE AYTON
The 7-foot, 250-pound big man can single-handedly dominate defenses, monopolize the boards and alter or swat shots.
STRENGTHS: Ayton offers an impressive mix of power and touch . He averaged 20.1 points and was a force around the rim with 75 dunks while shooting 61
percent from the field, yet he had enough range to hit 12 3-pointers to pull
defenders away from the paint, too. At the other end, 8.2 of his 11.6 rebounds
per game came on the defensive glass to secure a stop.
CONCERNS: He wasn’t particularly effective (14 points on 6-for-13 shooting) in the first-round NCAA Tournament loss to underdog and undersized Buffalo. His
lofty draft stock assumes he continues to develop physically and build on his
game
Frank Ragnow Youth Jersey , including on the defensive end (averaged just 1.9 blocks despite his physical tools).
JAREN JACKSON JR.
The Michigan State one-and-done big man is a possible top-five pick with size, length and a reliable jumpshot.
STRENGTHS: The 6-11 Jackson, who averaged 10.9 points and 5.8 rebounds, offers two intriguing skillsets. First, he shot nearly 40 percent from 3-point
range even as he attempted nearly three per game. He also averaged 3.0 blocks
per game, aided by a wingspan measured at more than 7-5 at the combine.
CONCERNS: The 18-year-old (he turns 19 in September) had issues with foul trouble during the year, which helped limit him to 21.8 minutes per game on the
season.
MO BAMBA
The 7-foot freshman from Texas has the potential to be an elite defender and rebounder – and that’s just a start.
STRENGTHS: Bamba averaged 12.9 points and 10.5 rebounds while shooting 54 percent from the floor. But it’s the defensive potential that stands out here;
he ranked second nationally with 3.7 blocks per game, aided by a wingspan
measured at an incredible 7-10 at the combine – three inches more than any other
player.
CONCERNS: While he’s a good athlete, he’ll need to add some strength to a 225-pound frame to hold up physically in the paint against stronger
opponents.
WENDELL CARTER JR.
Duke’s ”other” one-and-done frontcourt presence had his own big season, even if overshadowed by teammate and possible top overall pick Marvin Bagley III.
STRENGTHS: The 6-10
Cheap Vita Vea Jersey , 259-pound Carter is a bit of a throwback with his post play. He has back-to-the-basket skills yet can step behind the 3-point arc, too.
Carter averaged 13.5 points and 9.1 rebounds, posting 16 double-doubles. And
he’s got enough bulk to battle up front at the NBA level.
CONCERNS: He doesn’t have a lot of foot speed, which can affect him in transition or at the defensive end. He also had bouts with foul trouble, ending
when he fouled out in 22 minutes during an overtime loss to Kansas in the NCAA
Elite Eight.
OTHERS TO WATCH
– MITCHELL ROBINSON: The five-star recruit curiously opted to play for Western Kentucky, then never suited up at the college level. The 6-11 center is
a first-round prospect with upside to develop thanks to his length and
athleticism.
– OMARI SPELLMAN: Spellman was the inside-out big man who shot 43 percent from 3-point range for national champion Villanova. He could be the defacto post
presence capable of stretching the floor in a small lineup in the NBA, though
he’s a likely second-round pick.
– ROBERT WILLIAMS: Texas A&M’s 6-10 sophomore is a gifted athlete (check out the windmill dunk he threw down in the Aggies’ NCAA Tournament win against
Providence for proof). That and his defensive potential is a big reason why he’s
a possible lottery pick.
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