The Utah Mammoth and the Vegas Golden Knights get together for the first time since an intense first-round playoff series last spring when the Golden Knights open a five-game homestand on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
Vegas won the final three games in taking the best-of-seven playoff series 4-2 en route to winning the Western Conference for the third time in nine seasons.
It will be the final contest of a six-game, 14-day road trip for Utah. The Mammoth have gone 2-2-1 so far and are coming off a 4-2 loss at Ottawa on Saturday. Utah made a pit stop home for a pair of practices on Monday and Tuesday before heading back out to finish its trip.
Mammoth head coach Andre Tourigny made it clear that there is no love lost between the two squads.
“I’m sure there will be a few battle scars and a few sparks, but we like to hate our opponent, (whoever) they are,” Tourigny told the Deseret News. “I think you want that approach. You want to go every night and you want to get a piece of them and bite their heart. They’re no different, for sure. We may want to take two bites.”
“We know the task at hand,” forward Lawson Crouse said after practice on Tuesday. “A great opportunity (Wednesday) to get a little redemption. I’d say everyone knows what happened, but just looking forward to it.”
Vegas, second in the Pacific Division behind the Edmonton Oilers, returns home from a four-game Eastern road trip that saw it claim seven of a possible eight points. The Golden Knights opened the trip with a 3-2 shootout loss at the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Bruins but bounced back to win three straight, capped by a 4-1 victory at Buffalo on Sunday.
Tomas Hertl scored twice in the third period and Adin Hill made 28 saves to lead Vegas against the Sabres. The Golden Knights improved to 11-0-2 in games they have allowed two goals or fewer.
Vegas will be without defenseman Noah Hanifin, who left the game against the Sabres midway in the third period with an upper-body injury after taking a hit into the boards from Tyson Kozak.
“Week-to-week,” Golden Knights head coach Ryan Craig said of Hanifin’s return after practice on Tuesday.
Craig said he was pleased with the way his team grinded through the trip, allowing just six goals in four games.
“For me, we’re finding different ways to win games,” he said. “Our execution rose as we went through the trip, and our execution continues to climb.
“It’s a grind to win each and every night in the National Hockey League. That’s not just for our team, it’s for any team. You have to be able to win hockey games different ways. Early for us, it was our goal scoring. Lately it’s been our defending and goaltending. So yeah, to give up six goals on a four-game road trip is very good for our guys.”
Golden Knights forward Brett Howden said he expects a tough matchup Wednesday.
“That was a tough first-round series, for sure,” Howden said. “I anticipate it’s going to be a high-energy game, two good teams going at it. So, yeah, looking forward to it.”