It can’t be stressed enough how valuable a goalie is in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Moreover, a great goalie that can single-handedly carry a team is what we have seen historically in many of the Stanley Cup Champions. Anton Khudobin has already proved that he can be that goalie for the Dallas Stars throughout this years playoffs but on Saturday Night, Khudobin proved that there might not be an offense that he can’t shut down.
The first period reminded all of us who were hoping for an offensive game or an offensive series, that it was not meant to be. The goaltending was superb on both ends and while it was Anton Khudobin’s night, we have to give credit to Robin Lehner for keeping Vegas in the game (especially as the game wore on and Dallas started to find themselves with breakaway opportunities that could have put the game away).
Khudobin’s only error or Vegas’s only goal was the first score of the game that was a result of great passing on the power play. Vegas hasn’t been able to score often in this series and when they have, it has appeared to be only through one-timers on the power play. Alec Martinez was the recipient of the goal but we have to credit the passes of Paul Stastny (who won the faceoff and was able to slide the puck back to the point) and Nate Schmidt to set up the slap shot from the point. This was the only time that we would see the Golden Knights get the best of Anton Khudobin.
For most of the game, it appeared the Dallas had the failing offense and that would be an accurate assessment as the team collectively had 6 shots on goal in the first 31 minutes. The seventh shot was what ended that belief and flipped the momentum of the game. While it might have been one of the uglier goals in the game and would remind anyone of a chip shot from a round of golf, Joe Pavelski was able to flick the puck with the backhand of his stick and float one of the slowest shots over the stretch of Robin Lehner. The best part about sports, you don’t get any style points for how you score all that matters is that you score and the Stars now had the game tied at one and the likely knowledge that the next goal would put the game away.
I mentioned previously that Jamie Benn had disappeared from the Stars offense and it was vital for him to return to relevancy. Jamie Benn not only found his rhythm back but is now on an offensive tear as he scored two goals in the past two games. Jamie Benn found himself on the power play line and was able to rebound a deflected shot from the point and quickly fire it to the back of the net. The captain of the Stars will be credited with the go-ahead goal and with the accuracy and reaction to get the puck into the back of the net but the more valuable skill we saw from Jamie Benn and the Stars power play was the importance of traffic in front of the goal. Robin Lehner could play much better on the goal as he wasn’t able to see the initial shot through all the skaters crowding the net.
If the second period was the session for the scoring, then the final period was going to the showcase of Anton Khudobin. The Golden Knights were given a 5 on 3 power play with 5:54 left in the game and if they didn’t score, it was accepted that the game was all but over. As Vegas constantly heaved shots towards the net, Khudobin was able to deny them all and made the Las Vegas offense look irrelevant throughout the advantage. It can be argued that the Golden Knights are once again unable to find any method to score goals, a flashback to their drought when they played Vancouver and were blanked for two games in a row. It is right to say that a team that fails to score on a 5 on 3 power play doesn’t deserve to win but Vegas fired 33 shots on net and Anton Khudobin made 32 saves.
I initially believed that this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs was going to be determined by which teams had the depth at goaltender to allow their teams to rotate and not lose a beat. This has been effective for both Vegas and the Islanders as they both have the backups that could start on any day, but the teams we are seeing emerge in the Conference Final stage of the playoffs have been the Dallas Stars and the Tampa Bay Lightning who have the one great goalie who can carry their teams to the cup. While the Lightning only boasts a 2-1 series lead, the Dallas Stars have a commanding 3-1 lead in the series and look ready to play in the Stanley Cup Final after the most recent victory.
