For one night, at least, the trade for Tomas Tatar was a good one ... Jets owned the first 10 minutes ... Marchessault had an itchy trigger
It can be said that the Vegas Golden Knights didn’t do enough and did too much at the trade deadline. They were 41-16-4 and, with 86 points, just one behind the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Presidents’ Trophy race. Understandably, they didn’t want to disrupt the chemistry, but at that point they were legitimate Stanley Cup contenders. They had to go for it.
Ultimately, they kicked a lot of tires, but swung just three deals.
They acquired a tough fourth liner in Ryan Reaves, a minor league defenceman named Philip Holm
and a former 29-goal scorer in Tomas Tatar.
For Tatar, they gave the Detroit Red Wings a whole helluva lot : A first-round pick in 2018, a second round-pick in 2019 and a third-round pick in 2021.
What they wound up getting from him was not much.
Tatar had four goals and two assists in the final 20 games of the season. By the playoffs, he became a designated sitter.
Before Monday night, the 27-year old Slovak was a healthy scratch for all but four playoff games, during which he did nothing. But in getting his first chance during Game 2 of Round 2 on May 2, he stepped up.
There was some obvious rust initially showing on Tatar’s first period chance — given an open side he barely hit the outside of the post — but after retrieving the puck behind the net he showed some desperation and determination. The goal, at 13:23 of the first period, was a big one. It gave the visitors a 1-0 lead and momentum. It silenced the crowd, as much as a Jets
crowd can be silenced. Jonathan Marchessault
was the Golden Knights offensive star, netting two in a 3-1 series evening victory over the Jets. But Tatar got their ball rolling.
The highest paid skater on the Golden Knights roster, Tatar will make $5.3 million in each of the next three seasons. If his first couple of months are any indication, his contact will become a weight GM George McPhee wishes he could unload.
But on a Monday night in mid-May, when many expected the Golden Knights would be a month into their golf season, McPhee had to be thinking giving up three draft picks for Tatar was worth it.
STARTS AND STOPS
The Jets had a fast start before running into a wall — the midway mark of the first period. At that point they were up 10-5 in shots. When Tatar scored 3:23 later, it was 10-10. By the intermission, the Golden Knights wereahead2-0,hadhitthree posts and were leading 13-11 on the shot clock. The lone Jets shot in the final 11 minutes of the period was a second or two from the buzzer, and flipped in from outside the blue line ... So soon after Marchessault scored to make it 2-0 — while being sent in on a breakaway when Reilly
Smith stripped Kyle Connor of the puck in the neutral zone — how could the Jets suffer another breakdown and let Erik Haula walk in alone? That’s sleeping through a wake up call ... The only mistake the Golden
Knights made in the first period was cutting their own power play down to 39 seconds by taking a dumb too-many-men penalty ...
BETWEEN PERIODS
Liked the opening to the show with Don Cherry and
Ron MacLean on the balcony of The Met, on Donald Street in Winnipeg, above all the minions getting ready to root on the Jets from the street. But those glasses were just goofy, Grapes ... Best pregame interview of the playoffs yet — Scott Oake with
Ryan Reaves. Now you know why I like tough guys. (No, not you Scott) ... Marchessault had four shots after one period and seven after two. He finished with eight of the 28 taken by his team... Jets defenceman Josh Morrissey was given a standing ovation after he blocked two shots, the first of which clearly hurt him, during a Vegas power play in the second. Would Golden Knights fans done that for one of their own at T-Mobile Arena? ... Haula was 5-1 against Mark Scheifele on first period draws. I point this out because it’s the only way I can think of to get Scheifele’s name in the copy on this night.
CHANGING LINES
Kyle Connor looked like he was aiming for Marc-Andre Fleury’s logo when he broke his shutout at 7:17 of the third period. How in the world did that go in?
... Is it just me, or is Nikolaj Ehlers’ stick too long? ... Maybe it’s become a “thing” I’ve missed, and maybe this clever Tweet by TSN’s
Frank Seravalli was an original: Hello from Winnipeg, Manitrouba ... Dus
tin Byfuglien led all players with 27:14 of ice time. He didn’t do a lot with it.
BACK TO THE POINT
The main reason this series won’t be over until it’s over — Fleury is still better than Hellebuyck ... Seeing Fleury give his goal posts a thank you tap when they ricochet a puck out, and not in, will never get old ... Not getting nearly enough love in early Conn Smythe talk is
Evgeny Kuznetsov. The Capitals centre has eight goals and 19 points in 14 games, including an overtime winner, and he has not slowed down with Nicklaus Backstrom injured and the focus of the best checkers now squarely on him and the line he makes tick ... Even with Reaves in the lineup, Vegas had just seven hits all night. That seems very un-playoff game like, doesn’t it? .. The Jets had 19 hits, for all the good that did them.