Lawless: Pandemonium on The Strip on a Saturday Knight

Dylan Coghlan was speaking for everyone in Las Vegas, Nevada and the Golden Knights family.

“No,” was all he said as part of his postgame interview on radio when asked if he wanted to think about what it would have been like to have lost that game.

Coghlan knew the importance of Saturday night’s turned upside down 5-4 double OT winner which put the Golden Knights up, 2-1, in the Stanley Cup Final. An iceberg was avoided in Nevada when Shea Theodore’s goal ended the game with a shot that caromed off the back boards and popped into the net off the bottom of Brandon Bussi’s skate.

The goal ended the most improbable Carolina Hurricanes comeback and ushered in a wave of joy followed by a wave of relief for Golden Knights fans.

A lot happened in this one. Vegas scored four goals in the second period and looked to be home and cooled out after 40 minutes. But a four-goal period from the Hurricanes erased that lead and sent the game to overtime.

Vegas was one goal against away from a true disaster. Carolina was one goal away from a comeback which would have been talked about for years.

Instead, Theodore played hero and drove home with a smile on his face. So did all of Las Vegas.

“I’m just ready to go home,” said Theodore in a postgame interview with ESPN’s Emily Kaplan before he left the ice.

The trio of VGK owner Bill Foley, hockey operations president George McPhee and GM Kelly McCrimmon was shown on the scoreboard following the game. Foley was beaming and offered up a two-fisted salute while McPhee wrapped his arms around the normally stoic McCrimmon with huge smiles on their faces.

The game had a little bit of everything. The drama began in pregame warmups when Vegas defenseman and original Golden Misfits member Brayden McNabb took the ice wearing a full cage over his face.

McNabb took and 87 MPH slapshot to the face in Game 2 on Thursday and was taken to hospital in Raleigh whereby his own admission, required close to 30 stitches to repair his nose. 

Most people would still be in bed, and maybe even a hospital bed. McNabb, however, is of different stock. The rugged farm boy from Davidson, Saskatchewan figured out a way to play and logged 35:47 TOI while picking up two assists including one on the winning goal.

“It’s part of hockey. It’s the way it goes sometimes, and it’s unfortunate, but you still have to get through it,” said McNabb following the game.

The teams skated to a 0-0 deadlock through the first period before the next wave of theatrics kicked off.

Vegas quickly scored two goals to open the frame, only to have them both come off the board. The first was erased after an offside challenge and the second after a goaltender interference challenge.

Vegas also lost a controversial goaltender interference call in Game 2 and has now had three straight reviews go against them.

The onslaught of offense, however, could not be stemmed and Tomas Hertl finally scored a goal that stayed on the scoreboard to make it 1-0 for Vegas.

Enter Mitch Marner. The leading scorer in the playoffs rattled off three straight goals before the second period ended to give himself a four-point period and his team a 4-0 lead.

Somewhere hiding in the underbelly of the building, the third period was gleefully whispering to anyone who would listen, “Second period, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

Carolina came out to the ice for the third period with a new goalie as Brandon Bussi replaced veteran Freddie Andersen.

It appeared to be a mercy pull and a chance to rest Andersen and give Bussi some work. It proved to be a catalyst for the Hurricanes as they rattled off three goals in 39 seconds to close the gap to one.

Then, with Bussi on the bench for an extra attacker in a power-play situation, Andrei Svechnikov tied the game with under two minutes left in regulation.

The emotions of Vegas fans plummeted from the height of The Strat to the bottom of Lake Mead. Everyone felt sick to their stomach. Hangovers began to set in. 

The first period of overtime featured a right-pad save from Vegas goalie Carter Hart which averted disaster.

The teams and fans in both Vegas and Raleigh began to settle into what felt like a game that would never end. Then, Theodore grabbed the Superman cape and queued up pandemonium on The Strip. The pregame DJ on Toshiba Plaza, ILLENIUM, has nothing on Shea.

Now, we have good news and bad news for you.

First, the bad. There is another game on Tuesday.

Now, the good. There is another game on Tuesday.