In Game 1 of their qualifier series against the Edmonton Oilers, the Chicago Blackhawks jumped on an unsteady team that turned over the puck, had defensive breakdowns and looked like it had a hangover from the COVID-19 shutdown.
And with one exception, the Oilers failed to recover.
However, don’t expect those kinds of fireworks when the Hawks start their best-of-seven first-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday night.
The Knights earned praise during the Western Conference round-robin phase as a deep, defensive-minded and disciplined team that has looked as well-conditioned as any playoff team since the end of the break.
Hawks coach Jeremy Colliton has talked about the need to be prepared for a slower-paced battle than the previous series.
“Vegas has some very good offensive players, (and their) work ethic away from the puck is good,” he said. “They make you earn what you get, so that’ll be the challenge.
“We have to be patient, we have to play in tight games for long stretches and we may not be creating much, but we have to be patient, smart and make good decisions with or without the puck. Probably going to have to win in overtime, and we have to be comfortable in that environment and with that pressure.”
Hawks forward Patrick Kane agreed that the Knights are a “very detailed, very structured” team, but cautioned against counting out his team, the bottom seed in the Western Conference.
“A lot of people in the media and so-called hockey experts were picking Edmonton,” Kane said of the previous series. “We felt like the underdogs. It’s a cool role to play.”
Here are three things to watch in the series, with Game 1 set for 9:30 p.m. Tuesday in Edmonton, Alberta.
1. The Golden Knights were already a complete team, and then they got Max Pacioretty back.
Pacioretty, the Knights’ top goal scorer and point producer, spent the previous two weeks quarantined in his Edmonton hotel room, riding a stationary bike to stay in shape. The Knights say he’s full go and don’t plan to restrict him.
That adds another dimension to the Hawks’ challenge because the Knights are already one of the deepest teams in the league.
“(With Vegas having) all four lines, everyone’s going to have to be better in every aspect,” Hawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “There’s no part of our game that can have any issues, any holes. It’s going to be a different challenge and we’re all going to have to find that next gear.”
Hawks forward Patrick Kane said Pacioretty can be deadly with time and space.
“We were watching some clips today how he’s effective on the half wall, able to shoot well,” Kane said. “I know from playing with him at the Olympics and World Cup, he has an amazing shot, and against guys like that, you probably want to limit their space and try not to let him get that shot off.”
2. The Golden Knights goaltender situation will either help them or hurt them.
The Knights have been using Marc-Andre Fleury and Robin Lehner, whom they acquired from the Hawks at the trade deadline in February. General manager Kelly McCrimmon said having two goaltenders is a luxury they couldn’t afford to do without for the playoffs.
He and coach Pete DeBoer consider starting Lehner and Fleury as an advantage, not a source of conflict.
“That opens up a whole lot of different opportunities and things that coaches can look at,” DeBoer said. “The reality of this is these four rounds are going to be condensed on the schedule compared to a normal playoff. … The idea of being able to rotate in fresh people is a huge advantage as you move through the playoff trail.”
Games 3 and 4 are back to back on Saturday and Sunday.
Hawks goalie Corey Crawford had about a week to get ready for the qualifier series against the Oilers because he contracted COVID-19, and he has taken on a heavy load by himself, making 43 saves in Game 4.
Who knew in February that Crawford’s partner would become his first-round opponent?
The Hawks have generally resisted talking in depth about their reunion with Lehner, saying they’re focusing on the Golden Knights as a whole.
However, Toews talked about the effect his former teammate had on the Hawks locker room.
“He didn’t take very long to have an impact,” Toews said. “He’s a big personality; the guys liked him a lot, and he played great hockey for us.
“He had a positive influence on everyone in the room, especially our leadership group. Won a lot of games for us. At this point, we know what he’s good at, how we’re going to have to try to make his job tougher. But ultimately, whenever you go against a good goaltender, it’s your job to try to make it hard for him to see the puck and stop pucks. No different with him in this series.”
3. Patrick Kane will be a big factor in this series.
Kane historically had great success against the Oilers, but they held him to a goal and three assists in four games.
Similarly, the Golden Knights are looking to play the long game against Kane. Their mission is to take away the space he has to operate and limit his time with the puck.
“Patrick Kane’s one of the hardest guys to play one on one in the league,” Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt said, adding that Kane’s young supporting cast gives him a boost. “It’s not just defensemen, it’s how our forwards pick him up, how our forwards come back and help us out that allows us to play our gaps a little bit tighter because that’s what’s going to frustrate skill players.
“Be up in their face the entire series and make it hard and make ’em go through you instead of giving them the time and space to go around you and make plays through you. That’s going to be the big key to this series.”
Patience works both ways. Kane said he was starting to find his game again against the Oilers, and he’s willing to let it develop when opportunities are there.
“(I’ll) try to create chances for myself, my linemates, on the power play,” Kane said. “But at the same time, you have to realize you are in playoff hockey and it’ll be tougher to score goals. It may be a tough series to score against a detailed, structured team against Vegas, so (I’ve) got to stay patient as well.”