I'm going to be 100% honest with you, dear reader. I wasn't happy with the Vegas Golden Knights, despite their Game 3 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. You see, Game 3 exposed a major problem that Vegas has had in this series.
That issue was the third period, where the Hurricanes blitzed the Golden Knights with goal after goal after goal. Of course, hats off to Carolina for providing arguably the toughest test of Vegas' Stanley Cup journey so far. They have goal-scorers on every line, making them a threat.
Yet, there's no excuse for nearly losing a game after holding a 4-0 lead. You don't want Disney's resident announcers to get all excited and ready to blow their tops, do you (I wanted to say load, trust me)? They've been the proverbial bane of Vegas's mere existence, going crazy over every Carolina goal.
So, how can we keep everyone neutral and the Golden Knights in their dominant form? Well, that starts with fixing the period that was a strong suit during the regular season.
But it goes deeper than that. In fact, it involves a particular strategy that Carolina employs late in the game.
The Vegas Golden Knights must figure out the late-game press put on by the Carolina Hurricanes
Let's look at the last two games of the Stanley Cup Final, shall we? It consisted of the Hurricanes outscoring the Golden Knights in the third period, 7-1. 7-1! The last frame has suddenly become a problem for Vegas, especially when they have a lead.
It's the equivalent of Hulk Hogan hulking up to get better. The foe tries punching the Hulkster, only for him to shake his arms and turn up the intensity. That was what Carolina did in Games 2 and 3, pouncing on turnovers and using quick strikes to overwhelm the Golden Knights.
Therefore, the premise is simple. Figure out the press from Carolina and put them on their heels. The Golden Knights did much better in the second overtime of Game 3 with their forecheck. That meant eating up the offensive zone time and coming up with an innovative way to beat Brandon Bussi.
Of course, the biggest question will be who starts in net for Carolina. Will Rod Brind'Amour go with Frederik Andersen, who's suddenly petered out after going on a legacy run? Or will it be Bussi, who kept the Hurricanes in the game? Whatever the case is, Vegas must turn up the pressure.
They must remember that Bussi catches with the opposite hand from Andersen, for starters. They must also learn that his movements are vastly different, so adapt to whoever is in net. After all, you don't want those questions about being lazy to rise again.
