LAS VEGAS | The Golden Knights still have two big wins before they can win the Stanley Cup.
But given the way they defeated the Panthers on Monday night, it’s hard to imagine how it could turn around. Especially if Jonathan Marchessault continues to fill in goal like he has been doing for a few weeks.
By scoring twice last night, the Cap-Rouge forward extended his winning streak to seven games with at least a point (7 goals, 4 assists). He has now scored 12 goals in his last 12 games. It will be hard to ignore his candidacy when it comes to voting for the Conn-Smythe Trophy.
“Conny Marchessault, what a player!” tweeted David Perron, his former teammate, during the game.
Conny Marchessault, what a player! all my heart
—David Perron (@DP_57) June 6, 2023
“There’s no doubt he deserves it,” declared Nicolas Roy in the winners’ dressing room. He shows up at every game. He scores important goals or wins goals early in the game. He’s a guy for big occasions. We are lucky to have him with us.”
As a proud participant, Marchessault does not rest on his laurels until the task is complete. Furthermore, he refuses to be happy about the successes he is experiencing, even showing a certain sense of dissatisfaction.
“Yes, it’s still good. But in the last game I missed a lot of games even though I scored one goal. “I wasn’t exactly happy,” he said. I knew I had to play better for my team in the second game.
With two goals, one assist and two penalties handed down to opponents, we hope Marchessault returned home with a light heart.
Tkachuk approaches the missile
Which may not be the case with Matthew Tkachuk. The fiery striker received 22 penalty minutes. Officials awarded him his second and third 10-minute violations in the final.
So it’s 36 minutes that the eldest of the Tkachuk brothers spent in prison at those two meetings. According to TSN, only Maurice Richard, with 45 minutes in 1947, spent more time than he thought in the first two matches of a final tournament.
Additionally, Jack Eichel is fortunate to be unharmed as he received a warm welcome in mid-ice from the Panthers forward. The check was legal, but we understand Tkachuk had no intention of sparing his rival.
“It’s a tough but clean test,” said Eichel. It’s a physical sport. It happens that you get hit. We just have to keep going.”
The Golden Knights forward put that thought to good use as he returned to the ice early in the third period and received an assist for Marchessault’s second goal of the game.
“It’s normal to get hit. Even more in June. Winning hurts. It’s not supposed to be easy,” Bruce Cassidy began, echoing his protégé’s words.
turn the other cheek
Still, we could see that as the meeting progressed, frustration in the Panthers’ ranks grew. Referees Steve Kozari and Chris Rooney blew the whistle. They imposed no fewer than 12 misconduct penalties, seven of them against the Panthers.
Even Eric Staal was expelled for “insulting an official”. A ban could occur.
Additionally, Paul Maurice was down to a handful of players in the final moments of the game.
“We know how they play. We’ve all seen their games. They did the same in the other series as well. We’ll stay disciplined,” Roy said.
“That’s what they want to do. In the third period, Tkachuk counterchecked [Brayden] McNabb. McNabb, he’s not that cold of a guy. He took it and turned on his heel. We stay focused. It’s bringing us success right now,” Marchessault said on the same subject.
It’s a beautiful species. For hot-blooded people, however, that’s sometimes easier said than done.
“I won’t lie. “Sometimes it tempts us to brew, too,” admitted Roy. But we have a goal that is ultimately bigger than our ego. If we need to take sticks or countersamples to win, we will.
And so far it has paid off.