An emotionally charged Game Five has the Vegas Golden Knights holding the sword to their opponent’s throat.
On Friday, the Golden Knights head to Salt Lake City for the final time this series as they look to finish off the Utah Mammoth in Game Six.
Venue: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Date: Friday, May 1
Time: 7:00 pm PST
How To Watch: SCRIPPS, ESPN
Radio: 1340 AM, 94.7 FM
On Thursday, the Golden Knights learned that winning the series means a date with the Anaheim Ducks in the second round after they defeated the defending Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers. However, no one can look ahead yet until the final horn sounds on the fourth win of the series. All focus has to remain on the Mammoth, who the Golden Knights have on the ropes after two straight overtime victories.
Here is how Vegas can guarantee that the next time they hit the ice, they will have a different opponent the next time around.
Trust the process
What the Golden Knights are doing is historically unprecedented.
In 29 instances where a team has trailed in the third period of all five games of a playoff series, the Golden Knights are the only one that is not either behind or simply eliminated. Resilience has been a theme all season long for Vegas (the only team that trailed for more time in the regular season was the last-place Vancouver Canucks), and that mentality appears to have carried through into the postseason. Say whatever you will about sustainability, but there is something to say about the Golden Knights finding an unconventional way to reach this stage of the postseason.
Pressing the advantage
The Golden Knights carried a heavy special teams advantage heading into the series, but they had struggled to maximize it.
The last couple of games have changed the script, however. Back-to-back games with shorthanded goals from Brett Howden and Game Five’s power play goal from Pavel Dorofeyev have turned special teams into the X-factor the Golden Knighfs were hoping for. If Vegas catches the Mammoth in a state of desperation, the line to the penalty box could lead to one for handshakes by the end of the night.
Keep on rolling
It took a little time, but some of the key players that the Golden Knights have needed to generate offense have gotten it going.
Dorofeyev’s hat trick in Game Five puts him at four goals in the last two, while Howden’s shorthanded game-winner has him at three in that same span. Shea Theodore has also potted three points in two games, while Jack Eichel (eight points) and Ivan Barbashev (five) are operating at a point-per-game pace. With some of the Golden Knights starting to drive play, keeping the momentum would not only be crucial in finishing off Utah, but creating a foundation to carry against Anaheim.