3 Reasons the Vegas Golden Knights Eliminated the Ducks – The Hockey Writers – Vegas Golden Knights

For the fifth time in their nine seasons of existence, the Vegas Golden Knights are playing in the Western Conference Final. They find themselves in the third round following consecutive six-game series victories over the Utah Mammoth and Anaheim Ducks. Before we shift gears to the Western Conference Final and the Colorado Avalanche, let’s take a look at the reasons the Golden Knights were able to dispatch the Ducks in Round 2.

Carter Hart Was Better Than “Good Enough”

Carter Hart had ups and downs in the first round, but at the end of the series, he was “good enough” for the Golden Knights to advance. However, it was apparent that if the Golden Knights wanted to make a deeper run, Hart would need to be better.

Hart was just that against the Ducks. In six games, he posted a 1.99 goals-against average (GAA) and a .935 save percentage (SV%). Furthermore, he gave up more than two goals just once. To put this in further perspective, in Round 1 against Utah, Hart gave up three or more goals in three of the games.

Hart’s heroics in Round 2 will likely get lost in the excitement of Mitch Marner’s 11 points (five goals) and Pavel Dorofeyev‘s big Game 5, but there is no question that Hart’s fingerprints are all over this series win. Furthermore, his heroics came against a team that ranked in the top five in goals per game during the regular season.

Head coach John Tortorella gave his goaltender praise in the middle of the series while discussing the penalty kill:

“It can be tough at times with blocking shots or whatever it may be, but being very detailed in it. You need a good goalie as well. He has been great on the kill and throughout these playoffs. So yeah, it’s been good, and it’s going to have to continue to be good.”

Defense Shut Down the Ducks

Hart is not the only reason the Ducks’ goals ran dry. The defense in front of him was just as effective. After scoring 26 goals against the Edmonton Oilers in Round 1, the Ducks were limited to just 13 goals in Round 2.

Defenseman Jackson LaCombe led the Ducks with nine points against the Oilers. The Golden Knights held to just one assist in six games. Furthermore, Troy Terry, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier combined for 10 goals and 26 points against the Oilers. The Golden Knights held the trio to just one goal and 11 points.

What makes this even more impressive is that the Golden Knights’ defense did this while shorthanded in two games. Brayden McNabb’s game misconduct early in Game 5 forced Vegas to play down a man, but they held the Ducks to just two goals. McNabb was subsequently suspended for Game 6, but the Vegas defense allowed just one goal in his absence.

The Golden Knights’ defense simply made life difficult for the Ducks, and the results speak for themselves.

Continuing to Win the Special Teams’ Battle

Special teams were an important part of Vegas’s Round 1 victory, and the same is true for Round 2.

To truly show how good the Golden Knights were on special teams, let’s take a look at each team’s special teams performance by game:

• Game 1: No special teams goals (Vegas wins 3-1)
• Game 2: Vegas scores one power-play goal (Ducks win 3-1)
• Game 3: Vegas scores power-play and shorthanded goals (Vegas wins 6-2)
• Game 4: Ducks score two power-play goals; Vegas scores one (Ducks win 4-3)
• Game 5: Each team scores a power-play goal (Vegas wins 3-2)
• Game 6: Vegas scores two power-play goals and a shorthanded goal (Vegas wins 5-1)

The Vegas power play scored a power-play goal in five of the six games. They added a shorthanded goal twice. Meanwhile, they only allowed power-play goals to the Ducks in two of the six games, while allowing no shorthanded goals.