Smith scores twice as Knights defeat Blackhawks

[August 12, 2020]  Reilly Smith had two goals and an assist, and the Vegas Golden Knights beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1 in Game 1 of their Western Conference first-round series on Tuesday night in Edmonton.

Shea Theodore and William Carrier also scored, Jonathan Marchessault assisted on Smith's goals, and Robin Lehner made 19 saves for Vegas, the top-seeded team in the West.

David Kampf scored a short-handed goal, and Corey Crawford made 30 saves for eighth-seeded Chicago.

Theodore gave the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead with a wrist shot from the top of the right circle at 7:22 of the second period.

Carrier made it 2-0 at 9:39, pushing the puck across the goal line following a shot by linemate Ryan Reaves.

The Blackhawks challenged for offsides, but the goal was confirmed.

Vegas went on a power play for delay of game, but Kampf scored short-handed at 10:51 to make it 2-1. The play was set up by Brandon Saad, who pressured Theodore into a turnover and then dropped a pass for Kampf.

Smith restored the two-goal advantage at 3:32 of the third period. His wrist shot from the top of the right circle hit Crawford's blocker, went over his right shoulder and into the net.

Smith scored again coming through the slot at 8:14 to make it 4-1.

The Blackhawks got off to a slow start, getting one shot on goal over the final 13 minutes of the scoreless first period.

Blackhawks center Jonathan Toews (19) positions himself between Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt (88) and goaltender Robin Lehner (90) during the first period in game one of the first round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago hit the post twice in the first 2:22 of the second but couldn't get one past Lehner, even after his left skate blade broke off and he was forced to make an off-balance save.

Lehner's blade fell off again during a Chicago power play later in the second period, forcing him to wait for a stoppage in play to make the repair.

Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty returned after missing the round-robin games with a minor injury. Pacioretty, who led Vegas with 32 goals and 66 points during the regular season, played 18:08.

--Field Level Media

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