Despite coming in off a 4-3 loss Sunday at Anaheim that evened their Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2, the Vegas Golden Knights remained a calm and confident group heading into Game 5 against the Ducks on Tuesday in Las Vegas.
And for good reason. Been there, done that.
The Pacific Division champion Golden Knights found themselves in a similar situation in their first-round series against the Utah Mammoth. With the set tied 2-2, Vegas pulled out a dramatic 5-4 double-overtime win in Game 5 on a short-handed goal by Brett Howden en route to a six-game series win.
That victory gave Vegas a 5-2 record all-time in Game 5s in best-of-seven series that are tied 2-2. The Golden Knights, who won the 2023 Stanley Cup, have a perfect 5-0 series record when winning Game 5 in that situation.
“They’ve been through so much as a team,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said Monday. “Gone through all the processes, all the things you go through in a playoff series. So they’re experienced at it.”
Howden, who has scored a team-high seven playoff goals, added, “We’re feeling good about our game, and we feel like we have another step, too, so looking forward to (Tuesday) night.”
The Golden Knights, who cruised to a 6-2 victory in Game 3, weren’t satisfied with garnering a split of the two games on the road and regaining home-ice advantage.
“I think going in you’re not looking to split,” Howden said. “Not satisfied with just getting the one win after winning the first game. We were really looking to win the next game, but that’s the way it went, and now we’ve got a best-of-three series and we’ve got home ice.”
Tortorella was asked if he was satisfied with the performance of his team over the first four games of the series.
“I think our game’s growing, yes, but it’s going to have to grow some more,” Tortorella said. “It’s not complicated. It’s big plays … guys stepping up at certain times. The stakes are high now when you’re getting to the short strokes of the series.”
One bright spot for Vegas from Sunday was Tomas Hertl snapping a 29-game goal drought that dated back to March 4. Hertl scored 24 goals to go with 34 assists in the regular season.
“You know with goal-scorers, an empty-netter, 6-on-5, it doesn’t matter,” Tortorella said. “Hopefully it releases him a little bit. He’s been close for quite a while. He bangs one in and hopefully that will help him as we move forward.”
Meanwhile, Anaheim got a big game from Cutter Gauthier. The winger, who led the team in goals (41) and points (69) during the regular season, had been held off the scoresheet in the Vegas series until he dished three assists in Game 4.
“In the first three games, I wasn’t getting enough shots,” Gauthier said. “Getting in the middle of the ice is always a big emphasis, trying to get in front of guys, get in front of the goalie and stir some things up. Fortunately, the guys were able to bury it when I made a couple passes.”
The Ducks, who went 8-for-16 on the power play in their first-round series win over Edmonton, snapped an 0-for-11 drought against Vegas by scoring twice with the extra man in Game 4. Beckett Sennecke scored a power-play goal to give Anaheim an early 1-0 lead, and Alex Killorn added a power-play tally in the second period to put the Ducks back in front to stay, 3-2.
Anaheim also finished with a 34-27 edge in hits in the physical contest and forced 14 giveaways by the Golden Knights.
“It’s playoff hockey, and it was a man’s game,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said simply.
Anaheim forward Troy Terry added, “It was probably the first time where we were really backs against the wall. No matter what the situation’s been, I’ve loved how we’ve responded.”