Top 3 takeaways from Vegas Golden Knights and Chicago Blackhawks Game 4

The Chicago Blackhawks avoided elimination in Game 4 with a 3-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights. What can fans take away from it?

The Chicago Blackhawks extended their season on Sunday night by avoiding elimination in Game 4. After their 3-1 win in Game 4, they still trail the Vegas Golden Knights 3-1 in the series, but what’s important is they still have life.

It wasn’t easy, and it sure wasn’t pretty, but the Blackhawks still have a chance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. They’ll have to etch their names in the history books if they want to get past the Golden Knights, but crazier things have happened.

Let’s take a look at three takeaways from Game 4 of the Golden Knights and Blackhawks series.

1. Vegas Was The Better Team

In hockey, the better team doesn’t always win. There are so many variables that teams can’t control, yet are important to a game’s outcome. The Vegas Golden Knights lost Game 4 on the scoreboard, but it’s really hard to argue that they weren’t the better team in Game 4.

At 5v5, Vegas was clearly the better team. They had 38 scoring chances while the Blackhawks had just 10. The Golden Knights had 76 5v5 shot attempts while the Blackhawks had just 29. Vegas had 16 high-danger scoring chances while Chicago had just three.

The Golden Knights were simply the victim of facing a goalie having one of the best games of his career. Hey, it happens. The Golden Knights need to realize they still have a 3-1 series lead and that they did a lot of great things in Game 4. They deserved a far better outcome than a 3-1 loss.

Sometimes, after a loss, it can be tempting to switch things up. But honestly, Vegas should stick to their game plan. They made Corey Crawford have one of the best games of his career for the Blackhawks to win. He did exactly that. You’ve got to tip your hat to Crawford and move on.

2. Puck Luck

As I said earlier, there are many variables in hockey that teams can’t control, yet are important to a game’s outcome. It’s why there are so many upsets in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. One of those variables is “puck luck”. When you’ve got a hardened rubber object flying across solid ice, sometimes it can do some crazy things.

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That’s the simplest way to describe how the Blackhawks won. Chicago’s first goal was scored by Drake Caggiula after Olli Maatta attempted to pass the puck to Patrick Kane, but missed. Caggiula was in the right place at the right time to hammer home a one-timer.

You’re not going to find a crazier goal than the one Matthew Highmore scored against Robin Lehner. Technically, he scored it from behind the goal line. Highmore chased a puck, won a battle, and decided to put the puck on net, hoping that a teammate could jump on a juicy rebound.

What he wasn’t counting on was the puck hitting Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Robin Lehner in the head and going into the net. It was that kind of night for the Blackhawks. The puck bounced their way when they needed it to and that’s a huge reason why they won.