Blog: Golden Knights run away from Canadiens to take Game 1

By Justin Emerson

Published Monday, June 14, 2021 | 3 p.m.

Updated Monday, June 14, 2021 | 8:49 p.m.

If the Golden Knights play the way they did in the final two periods for the whole third round, the series isn't going to last long.

That was a familiar refrain in the previous round, but it didn't take the Golden Knights anytime at all for the goals to come. Vegas scored one in the first despite a strong period from the Montreal Canadiens, but took the game over from there, cruising to a 4-1 victory in Game 1 at T-Mobile Arena on Monday.

Shea Theodore regained his offensive form after not scoring in 18 games, including the regular season. He slapped home Vegas' first goal of the game in the first, then pulled out a nasty shot-fake to set up Alec Martinez with the Golden Knights' second. The Canadiens got one back on a power-play goal from Cole Caufield, only to see Mattias Janmark put the Golden Knights back up by a pair 53 seconds later.

Vegas added one more in the third period, a Nick Holden finish on a gorgeous seam pass from Reilly Smith. Three of the Golden Knights' four goals came from six defensemen, as did six of their 12 points.

Montreal was the superior team in the first period, with a 12-9 edge in shots on goal and a decisive advantage in ice position. The Canadiens had no trouble cutting to the center of the net, and applied a high quantity and quality of pressure on Marc-Andre Fleury for the better part of the first.

The game flipped in the second and third, as Vegas locked them down. The Golden Knights allowed just five shots in the second and five in the third before Montreal pulled Carey Price for an extra attacker, preventing any sort of comeback attempt. Montreal's only good look after the first period came on the power play.

Vegas finished with a 30-29 edge in shots on goal. It is the first time this postseason the Golden Knights won Game 1 of a series, although losing to Minnesota and Colorado didn't affect them in their previous rounds.

Check back to lasvegassun.com later for more coverage and read below for live updates from the game.

Golden Knights extend lead over Canadiens in second period

The Golden Knights started to take over the game in the second period, and extended their lead as a result. Vegas added a pair of goals in the middle period, including answering of Montreal's, and led the Canadiens 3-1 heading to the second intermission at T-Mobile Arena on Monday.

The Golden Knights' second goal of the game was the closest thing hockey has to an alley-oop dunk. Shea Theodore had a field of white ice in front him to shoot from after collecting Reilly Smith's feed and looked like he was going to slap it at the end. At the last second though he pulled up and fed Alec Martinez, who had the whole net to shoot at. He didn't miss, firing it by a diving Carey Price and Vegas grabbed a 2-0 lead 2:18 into the second.

The Canadiens didn't show much life at even strength for large stretches of the second period, but a William Carrier roughing minor gave them the jump they needed. Cole Caufield, who started this season at the University of Wisconsin, showed off why he won the Hobey Baker as college hockey's best player. He missed on his first attempt, but not his second, as he fired home a rebound to trim the lead to 2-1 Vegas.

But the good vibes on the visitors' bench didn't last long. Less than a minute later, Vegas restored the two-goal lead thanks to a fortunate bounce. Alex Tuch fired the puck on net and it deflected off defenseman Alexander Romanov's skate and right to a waiting Mattias Janmark. He redirected it into the net, and the Golden Knights led 3-1 just 53 seconds after Caufield's goal.

Vegas led 13-5 in second-period shots, and led 21-17 for the game.

Golden Knights lead Canadiens after first period in game 1

For the third Game 1 in a row this postseason, the Golden Knights were slow to arrive. They lost both of them because they couldn't get the offense going, but they're off to a better start in Game 1 on Monday.

Shea Theodore had the only goal of the frame, firing home a one-timer near the midpoint of the period and helping Vegas grab a 1-0 lead over the Montreal Canadiens after one period at T-Mobile Arena in their third-round series.

It was not a good start for the Golden Knights on Monday, just like it wasn't in the last two rounds. They were shutout against Minnesota and blown out by Colorado, and the game against Montreal started a little like that.

Marc-Andre Fleury turned the puck over behind the net early, but wasn't hurt by it when the Canadiens couldn't get the puck all the way to the net. He then had to make a save in tight on Brendan Gallagher, and Montreal drew a power play 2:38 into the game. They kept up the early pressure, and Fleury had to make quite a few early saves — eight in the first nine minutes of the game.

But that was quickly forgotten at 9:15 when the Golden Knights scored the first goal of the game. Despite the Montreal pressure, Chandler Stephenson won an offensive-zone faceoff clean to Brayden McNabb, who fed Theodore to his right. Theodore blasted the puck through traffic and inside the right post to put Vegas up 1-0.

The goal seemed to wake Vegas up, as the Golden Knights started to assert control that was expected coming into the game. The forecheck arrived, and Montreal had trouble exiting the zone with the puck.

Overall the period swung the Canadiens' way, with plenty of chances in the dangerous areas of the ice. Fleury was up the task, Vegas took advantage of an early chance, and the Golden Knights led 1-0 as a result.

Shots favored Montreal 12-9 in the first.

Golden Knights open series with unfamiliar Canadiens

The last time the Golden Knights and Canadiens met, Pete DeBoer was coaching his second game for Vegas, Dominique Ducharme was an assistant with Montreal, Alex Pietrangelo wasn't a Golden Knight and leading scorer Tyler Toffoli wasn't a Canadien.

The Golden Knights played their first- and second-round opponents eight times in the regular season before their playoff series but haven't seen the Canadiens in person in nearly 18 months. That will change when Montreal visits T-Mobile Arena at 6 p.m. today for Game 1, becoming the first Canadian team to play in the states since the pandemic began.

"We had a few days to prepare for them, watched video, and I know a lot of the guys. I think almost everyone had watched them throughout the entire postseason," Vegas forward Alex Tuch said. "We know what to expect, but we have to first and foremost focus on our game."

The Golden Knights have one win in six all-time meetings with the Canadiens (1-2-3 record), but that doesn't feel particularly relevant to the current series. Much has changed since Vegas went to Bell Centre on Jan. 18, 2020.

For instance, the Canadiens got better. By record, they are still one of the weaker teams to reach the postseason with a 24-21-11 record that ranked 18th in the NHL and a minus-9 goal differential that ranked 19th.

Compare that to Vegas, whose 40-14-2 record tied for the best in the league and whose plus-64 goal differential stood alone. On paper, this looks like a mismatch. The sportsbooks agree, installing Vegas as a minus-500 (bet $500 to win $100) favorite in the series and a minus-270 favorite tonight.

The Canadiens didn't have to face the President's Trophy winners to reach the semifinals, but their road has been impressive, regardless of their opponent. They overcame a 3-1 series deficit to beat the favored Maple Leafs in the first round, then swept the Jets in the second by allowing six total goals. They enter the series on a seven-game winning streak and are well-rested, having not played in a full week.

"We haven't seen these guys in awhile, but they're playing real good hockey," Vegas defenseman Shea Theodore said. "They've come off some real good series, and we have to make sure our game is ready for them. It's going to be different, but I think sometimes a change of scenery is also good.

The Golden Knights will turn from embracing the underdog role they had in the second-round series with the Avalanche to being one of the biggest favorites in the history of the Stanley Cup semifinals. The best way for the Canadiens to start the upset bid is a Game 1 victory, something teams have been oddly successful at against the Golden Knights.

Vegas has lost its last three series openers dating back to last season but rebounded with series victories in both of them this year.

"You don't want to start in a hole, particularly at home here," DeBoer said. "I don't know why we haven't been able to win Game 1 so far, but every series is new. I think we'll be ready to play. I think we know the importance of it. For me it's about playing a good game. Hopefully we win and if we don't, I think we've shown in the past that if your game's in the right place, eventually we'll come out the other side."

Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 3

Series: Tied 0-0

TV: NBC Sports Network (DirecTV 220, Cox 38, CenturyLink 640)

Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM

Betting line: Golden Knights minus-270, Canadiens plus-235; over/under: 5.5 (plus-110, minus-130)

Golden Knights (8-5, West Division No. 2 seed)

Coach: Pete DeBoer (second season)

Points leader: William Karlsson (11)

Goals leader: Jonathan Marchessault (6)

Assists leader: William Karlsson, Alex Pietrangelo (7)

Expected goalie: Marc-Andre Fleury (1.91 GAA, .923 save percentage)

Canadiens (8-3, North Division No. 4 seed)

Coach: Dominique Ducharme (first season)

Points leader: Tyler Toffoli (10)

Goals leaders: Four players (4)

Assists leaders: Eric Staal, Tyler Toffoli (6)

Expected goalie: Carey Price (1.97 GAA, .935 save percentage)

Golden Knights projected lineup

Forwards

Max Pacioretty—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone

Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith

Mattias Janmark—Nicolas Roy—Alex Tuch

William Carrier—Keegan Kolesar—Ryan Reaves

Defensemen

Alec Martinez—Alex Pietrangelo

Brayden McNabb—Shea Theodore

Nick Holden—Zach Whitecloud

Goalies

Marc-Andre Fleury, Robin Lehner