MONDAY COMMENTARY – KNIGHT UP

(Listen daily for the Rod Pedersen Commentary on Cat Country 98 FM & Rock 98.5 FM)

FIRST BLOOD GOES TO THE COLORADO AVALANCHE.

ROUND 2 OF THE STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS OPENED FOR MY VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS SUNDAY NIGHT IN DENVER, BUT IT WASN’T MUCH OF A GAME.

THE AVALANCHE ROUTED THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS 7-1 AND  THE “EXPERTS” ARE ALREADY SAYING THE SERIES IS OVER. (I SAY “EXPERTS” IN AIR QUOTES)

THE WRITERS CALLED VEGAS GOALIE ROBIN LEHNER A SURPRISE STARTER FOR GAME 1, ESPECIALLY SINCE FRANCHISE FACE MARC-ANDRE FLEURY PLAYED EVERY MINUTE OF THE ROUND 1 SEVEN-GAME SERIES AGAINST MINNESOTA.

BUT LEHNER STARTING WASN’T A SURPRISE AT ALL. KNIGHTS COACH PETER DEBOER AND GM KELLY MCCRIMMON HAVE MADE IT ABUNDANTLY CLEAR THEY FAVOUR A TWO-GOALIE SYSTEM, AND THESE ARE THEIR GOALIES.

IF FLEURY PLAYED EVERY MINUTE LAST SERIES, THEN CLEARLY THEY WERE GOING TO START LEHNER AGAINST COLORADO. I’VE EXPLAINED THIS TO FANS ON TWITTER AND THEY’VE COUNTERED THAT FLEURY WAS HOT!?

I GOLFED WITH FILE HILLS TRIBAL CHIEF EDMUND BELLEGARDE ON SUNDAY AND HE MAINTAINS THAT THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS ARE A DIFFERENT, AND BETTER, TEAM IN FRONT OF FLEURY THAN ROBIN LEHNER.

YES, YES, YOU ARE ALL CORRECT.

HEY, MY JOB IS NOT TO DEFEND VEGAS’S COACHING DECISIONS. BUT I DON’T MIND EXPLAINING THEM EITHER. DEBOER CONFIRMED ALL OF THIS IN HIS POSTGAME NEWS CONFERENCE.

SO UNFORTUNATELY LEHNER DID NOT RISE TO THE MOMENT IN GAME 1. HE DIDN’T LOOK GOOD AT ALL, NOR DID THE ENTIRE VEGAS TEAM WHO WENT FROM PLAYING A DEFENSIVE JUGGERNAUT IN MINNESOTA TO PERHAPS THE NHL’S FASTEST TEAM IN COLORADO.

YOU CAN TALK ABOUT FATIGUE. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT COMING OFF AN EMOTIONAL 7-GAME SERIES AND THEN FACING A TEAM COMING OFF A SWEEP. WHATEVER. IT COULD ALL BE TRUE, OR PERHAPS NONE OF THAT IS TRUE.

I JUST THINK LEHNER PUT THEM IN A HOLE, THEY CAME OUT FLATFOOTED, AND THE GAME ENDED UP BEING A THROWAWAY.

THE FACT IS A 7-1 LOSS DOESN’T COUNT FOR ANYMORE THAN A 1-0 LOSS. AND IF PEOPLE WANT TO WRITE OFF VEGAS – A TEAM WHO FINISHED DEAD-EVEN WITH COLORADO IN THE STANDINGS – THEN THAT MIGHT BE THE BEST THING FOR MOTIVATION.

THE FUN PART IS IN THE ADJUSTING, AND PETER DEBOER WILL HAVE HIS CHARGES READY IN GAME 2.

AND HE’LL ALSO HAVE MARC-ANDRE FLEURY IN GOAL.

I THINK.

THAT’S TODAY’S ROD PEDERSEN COMMENTARY