Reilly Smith scores in OT to give Vegas commanding 2-0 lead over Blackhawks (Video)

The Chicago Blackhawks teams of old aren’t around to help the current crop, as they face a two-game deficit to Vegas following Reilly Smith’s goal

Despite the Blackhawks surprising upset of the Edmonton Oilers in the NHL Stanley Cup Playoff qualifying rounds, they’ve looked far more like the disappointing bunch from before the league decided to suspend play last March in their Best-of-7 vs Vegas. The Vegas Golden Knights, on the other hand, are ready to pounce after taking part in the NHL’s seeding round robin just days ago, which pitted them against Chicago, who last won the Cup in 2015.

While these Chicago teams still feature the always-dangerous Patick Kane and Jonathan Toews, they’ve run into a buzzsaw in Vegas. The Golden Knights outshot Chicago 7-1 in overtime, with Smith’s goal finally deciding things.

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Smith’s goal spoiled an inspiring Blackhawks comeback

Despite Chicago’s best efforts, in which they scored three goals in the second period and held Vegas scoreless for most of the final 30 minutes of action, Smith’s tally late signals a demoralizing defeat for the Blackhawks. Rather than returning to home ice, as would be the case in any other postseason, the ice barely tilts at all towards Chicago in Games 3 and 4, as the sides are obviously staying in Edmonton for the remainder of the series.

If Marc-Andre Fleury can stand tall in Game 3, expect Vegas to try and step on Chicago’s throat to take an overwhelming 3-0 lead.