(Photo Credit: @GoldenKnights on X/Twitter)
At the end of the night, the scoreboard reads 3-1 in Game 1 and the series 1-0 both in favor of the Golden Knights. That’s all that truly matters from the opening game of the Second Round. But, Vegas is self-aware after their fourth consecutive playoff win.
They were the better team tonight. I thought as the game went on, we started finding our game, but we couldn’t find it completely. -John Tortorella
The Golden Knights were outshot 34-22, they had 10 fewer scoring chances according to NaturalStatTrick.com, and for a good portion of the game, they seemed to be chasing the Ducks all over the ice.
When you’re in between (series) and have a couple of days, especially heading into Game 1, it’s about which team finds its game the quickest and gains that advantage. We’re fortunate we found a way to win. They played well, and some of that has to do with them. But we have some things to work on, and I’ll leave it at that. -Tortorella
The 1st period was the most concerning for Vegas after Game 1. Anaheim was all over them for most of the frame, and if not for an excellent game from Carter Hart in the net, it could have been over after 20 minutes. Anaheim’s speed caused problems both coming out of the Ducks defensive zone and through the neutral zone, which allowed for many dangerous looks. On the flip side, Vegas’ offense couldn’t really get started up against a leaky defense because they weren’t finding ways to possess the puck for extended stretches.
I don’t think anyone in that locker room is very satisfied with that win. We know we have to be a lot better. We know we can play a lot better. I don’t think we got to our offensive zone game at all. We gave them some good looks that Carter made some massive saves on. But yeah, we know we have to be better. We know the series is going to get harder. -Mitch Marner
Most of the rhetoric following the game from the Anaheim side centered around the missed icing call that led to VGK’s game-winning goal, but they also felt pretty good about the game.
I didn’t mind the way we played, I thought we did all right. I thought the chances were there the whole game. We had a lot of pace. Both teams worked hard. It was a heck of a hockey game. -Joel Quenneville
Moving forward, the Golden Knights now have a unique opportunity that doesn’t come around often in the postseason. Without playing their best game, they still walked away with a win, and now, they have the chance to bounce back even after a win.
It’s a find-a-way league. We found a way to win, and I’m certainly not going to apologize for the win. I think the biggest thing is we need to be honest with ourselves. We’ll look at some of the stuff, and I think we have a better game coming up. -Tortorella
Game 2 offers Vegas a chance to improve their play without having to improve on the scoreboard. If they can put together a much better game, the result almost certainly will head in their favor once again. And, if they do it, it’ll make Game 1 sting even more for the Ducks, which is exactly what the Golden Knights should be looking to do.
