Well, game 1 went as expected. Fleury kept pace with Quick, who probably had the tougher saves to make, Bellemare and Nosek were very good at shutting the Kings down, even being intentionally paired against the Kings top line. Carrier was on Doughy the way he should be until the Doughy headshot. McNabb came out hitting and Tuch was good, although not great.
For the Kings, they played as expected also, Doughy, Brown and Clifford were in classic playoff mode with Clifford trying to start crap after every whistle, Brown with his trademark falling into the goalie routine and obviously Doughty's suspendable hit on Carrier.
What wasn't expected was the physicality displayed by Vegas, from nearly everyone in the lineup including players like Neal and Marchessault. The Knights and Kings went hit for hit most of the night surprising fans of both teams. The Knights had the better play rushes and a strong forecheck but at times the Kings were better at hemming them in the zone, but were unrewarded for their efforts. The Karlsson line played decent, but early on looked a little trepid, some might say "heard footsteps", this seemed to fade as the game progressed. The Haula and Eakin lines were better in a defensive physical way - which will bode well going forward.
Tonight' game should be a little more open. I would expect that without Doughty in the Kings lineup, Knights first line will be a little more freewheeling and Stevens will have a tough time deciding who to play against them. Doesn't matter, because line 2 is next up. Look for Lindberg to slot tonight, which defensively is not a noticeable downgrade from game 1. I would expect the Kings to attempt to intimidate the Knights even more tonight. The Kings will likely throw more pucks toward the net and crash for rebounds and send more dump ins in an effort to hammer our defense-It could be a tough night for our defense.
The Knights should take this game if they put the Doughty hit behind them and just move forward, which I suspect Gallant has already talked about. They need to stay out the scrums and out of the box if they are gonna make Doughty pay for his hit.
P.S - My players to watch;
Tomas Tatar. Tatar has at times looked out of sync with the Knights, but from the third line I think he will have an impact tonight.
Nate Schmidt. Schmidt's speed from his zone and entry into the Kings end will be effective in the Knights transition game.
Tomas Nosek. Nosek had a good game 1, will continue with heavy forecheck and recovery of loose pucks.