Blackhawks vs. Golden Knights: First Thoughts on the Series

Lehner began 2 of the 3 games the Golden Knights played in round robin play, and although Vegas head coach Pete DeBoer has not called a starter for the series yet, it would appear Lehner will have the inside track to face his previous group when the playoffs begin today. The Golden Knights, who went a best 3-0 in round robin play versus the other top 3 groups in the west, are a formidable team with strong goaltending, a talented and deep forward group, and a blue line filled with players ready and able to drive offending belongings when needed. The Chicago Blackhawks made the most of their opportunities in Edmonton as they advanced into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but now the road gets substantially harder as they will take on the top-seeded Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

In terms of weaknesses, there is one essential area to watch on for Vegas: their penalty kill. While the Oilers had among the very best penal eliminating units in the league this season, the Golden Knights had one of the worst, exterminating 80.8% of the power plays they faced. Only one team still eligible for postseason contention had a worse charge kill than the Golden Knights, with the Toronto Maple Leafs still dealing with a removal game Sunday versus Columbus.

That high level of engagement by the blue liners develops a lot of chances for the teams forward group, and they have one of the inmost groups of forwards in the league, with gamers like Max Pacioretty, Mark Stone, and William Karlsson all supplying ample scoring prowess to the club. On the protective side, the Golden Knights are a group with lots of depth and skill, however the group is headlined by the gamers that can make plays take place on the offensive side of the ice.

Nate Schmidt and Shea Theodore are 2 of the Golden Knights most efficient players offensively, and their capability to stretch the ice and to keep pressure on opposing forwards can trigger even the most talented of teams fits as they try to set up their offense.

The NHL is anticipated to release the preliminary schedule quickly, and the Blackhawks will likely once again get late-night billing from the league. That might be a location where the Blackhawks might potentially do some damage, as they showed some expertise on the power play in Games 1 and 4 of their series with Edmonton, if Dominik Kubalik and Jonathan Toews can continue their strong play, the man-advantage might be a key benefit to a Blackhawks squad trying to find a big upset. Eventually, the Blackhawks do face an uphill climb versus these Golden Knights, who have actually been among the NHL’s most amazing stories throughout their short history in the league.

The Blackhawks went 1-1-1 versus Vegas throughout the routine season, and have struggled in their all-time series against Vegas, going 1-6-2 in nine all-time meetings. That goaltending group is headlined by the two-headed beast of Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner, who is plenty familiar to Blackhawks fans, as he played 33 games in Chicago this season before being traded to the Golden Knights in February. The Golden Knights did end up exterior of the leading 10 in the league in both goals scored per game and objectives enabled per game, but make no mistake, this is a group that can score goals in lots and has the ability to stand firm through scoring droughts from their top-tier players, unlike the top-heavy Edmonton Oilers squad that the Blackhawks just knocked off.

That upset could also be helped by Corey Crawford, as he played his best game of the postseason in Friday’s Game 4 win over Edmonton. If Crawford, who is still recuperating after missing out on the majority of training camp with Covid, has the ability to find his form, the Golden Knights could be in for a stern challenge, as the tested playoff performer might assist provide his club a combating opportunity in the postseason.