3 takeaways from Golden Knights’ Game 4 loss to Blackhawks

Considering Corey Crawford’s track record as a two-time Stanley Cup winner, it was always a possibility that the Chicago Blackhawks goaltender could steal a game against the Golden Knights.

Now that it’s happened, the Knights must avoid falling into the trap of doubting they can dent Crawford.

The 35-year-old found the fountain of youth Sunday and finished with 48 saves in Chicago’s 3-1 victory in Game 4 of the Western Conference quarterfinals at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. The Knights lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, with Game 5 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.

“I thought we did a much better job of getting opportunities, and I think it’s not getting frustrated,” Knights defenseman Nate Schmidt said. “That’s the name of the game in the playoffs. Things are going to happen, and guys are going to have great games. You’re going to play against a good goalie one night, and (it’s important) not getting frustrated, trying to force things when maybe you’re not getting the looks or converting on your opportunities.”

Crawford was shaky early in the series but stopped 75 of 78 shots during the back to back over the weekend to give Chicago a chance to even the series.

He has allowed two or fewer goals in two straight outings after managing that feat once in his first six starts, a 43-save effort to close out Edmonton 3-2 on Aug. 7.

But as well as Crawford played, the Knights can’t allow him to take over the series the way Montreal’s Carey Price did against Pittsburgh in the qualifying round.

Crawford has a 3.21 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in eight appearances this postseason.

“I’m not worried about our offense,” Knights coach Pete DeBoer said. “Listen, you’ve got to be able to be prepared to win 1-0, 2-1 in this league at this time of year every night. That’s going to get harder and harder. I’m not concerned about us being able to score enough to win.

“That’s probably one of the best 60 minutes we’ve had since we’ve been in the bubble here. A lot more good than bad, and we’ve just got to keep building on it.”

Here are three more takeaways from the Knights’ loss:

1. Mr. Postman

Like the end zone fade in football, the reverse-VH goaltending technique (RVH) is a frequent target for armchair critics. And it’s been a hot topic throughout this postseason, especially on Hockey Twitter.

For those who aren’t experts in stopping pucks, RVH is a technique when a goalie goes to a knee and squeezes his short-side pad against the post.

The idea is to prevent wraparounds, but as goaltenders rely too much on RVH, shooters have discovered ways to exploit the small hole between the goalie’s shoulder and the crossbar.

Carolina’s Andrei Svechnikov scored two lacrosse-style goals during the regular season, and players are clearly aiming for that flaw in the RVH position.

Montreal’s Jeff Petry blew a shot over the shoulder of Pittsburgh goalie Matt Murray for the winner in Game 3 of their qualifying round series. Eric Staal of Minnesota scored from a sharp angle against Vancouver’s Jacob Markstrom on Aug. 7.

Knights goaltender Robin Lehner was the latest victim of poor RVH execution when he was beaten from behind the goal line by the Blackhawks’ Matthew Highmore during Game 4 on Sunday.

Highmore threw a shot on net from the left corner, and Lehner unsuccessfully tried to head the puck away like a soccer player while in the RVH position.

Instead, the puck slipped through the small window between his shoulder and the post, bounced off the back of his mask and fell into the net for a 2-0 Chicago advantage.

“It was a pretty good shot, too,” Lehner said.

“Wasn’t exactly intentional,” Highmore admitted afterward.

2. Shoot your shot

Gone are the days of defensemen winding up for 100-plus mph slap shots, Canadiens captain Shea Weber notwithstanding.

Instead, modern blueliners such as Shea Theodore often prefer a wrist shot to help navigate through traffic.

But Theodore went old school in the first period Sunday when he cranked a one-timer past Crawford for the Knights’ goal.

Theodore leads all defensemen with four goals in the playoffs and is tied for third with six points.

3. Defensive miscue

While the Blackhawks’ second goal was on Lehner, the opener was the type of coverage breakdown the Knights can ill afford in tight games.

The Knights were in position to defend a three-on-three rush as Chicago’s Drake Caggiula dumped the puck into the zone. But Blackhawks defenseman Olli Maatta was unimpeded on the forecheck and beat Brayden McNabb to the puck below the goal line.

Schmidt took himself out of position as he appeared to anticipate the puck cycling behind the net. Instead, Maatta absorbed a hit from McNabb and threw a backhand feed in front to Caggiula, who was uncovered for the tap-in goal.

“Two first-period goals, you dig yourself a hole,” Schmidt said. “But I thought we responded really well.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.