ANAHEIM, Calif. — Brett Howden had a game plan: That his Vegas Golden Knights team start so fast against the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday night, doubt would creep into the minds of the hosts.
That the Knights would jump on top of the Ducks from the opening puck drop and be so dialed in, things would fall just as Howden’s side hoped.
And they did.
And for it, they move on to the toughest of obstacles.
This is where all that experience talk turns into reality for the Knights. Close-out games. An opportunity to send a team home and advance on. This is what they mean about a veteran room.
The Knights have done it again, eliminating the Ducks in Game 6 of a best-of-seven series at Honda Center.
The final was 5-1. Not sure it was that close for large parts of the game.
It was 3-0 after 20 minutes. Yes. Doubt crept in.
The script
“You want to score first, especially being on the road,” Knights defenseman Shea Theodore said. “Try and quiet the crowd. I thought we played great, and that’s what we had to do. We had the right mindset coming in. Guys wanted to work and get the job done. It was good to see the result.”
It was a script followed by Vegas much the same way as a first-round series against Utah, beating the other guys in overtime of Game 5 and then for the most part controlling Game 6.
Things now get a whole lot tougher.
Vegas advances to the Western Conference final against Colorado, the league’s best team, in a series that begins Wednesday night in Denver.
Knights coach John Tortorella said beforehand he didn’t look at things as closing out a series. He just wanted the Knights to be better than they were in Game 5 and then see where things fell.
They couldn’t have been any hotter to start.
You won’t see a sweeter goal than the one Mitch Marner pulled off just 1:02 into the game. The score, which had more forehands and backhands than you can count and even a nifty between-the-legs move, was made possible by a terrific stretch pass from William Karlsson.
“(The goal) was so sick,” Theodore said. “But that’s (Marner). He’s so good on his edges and finding different ways to get things done.”
This is another example of why Tortorella called the narrative around Marner’s inability to produce in the playoffs, well, an expletive.
Marner might have gained such a reputation when in Toronto, but he has been one of the best in the NHL these playoffs. He leads the league in scoring this postseason.
Howden has also been terrific, having tied an NHL record with his third short-handed goal in the first period off a pass from — who else? — Marner.
“It’s about will, about chipping out some things that might be hurting you,” Tortorella said in his pregame remarks. “I always think it comes down to a big play or a big save or a big momentum swing.”
Tortorella chose not to speak afterward with no explanation given.
The Knights sprinted to that early 3-0 advantage, one that included a power-play goal from Theodore.
He might be playing the best hockey of his Vegas career and the Knights needed it these last two wins without defenseman Brayden McNabb, ejected three minutes into Game 5 for a major penalty and then suspended for Game 6.
Theodore, who began his NHL tenure with the Ducks, has been making a difference at both ends of the ice. His puck movement. His positioning. His experience. His vision. How smoothly he moves from one end to the next.
Here comes Avalanche
But now comes Colorado, the first time in these playoffs Vegas will be an underdog. And it will be a decisive one.
And it should be.
The Avalanche have been at a different level this season and especially these playoffs.
But don’t tell a team as seasoned as the Knights it has no chance. Don’t suggest something is over before it begins.
There’s a lot of pride in that room.
Let’s see if it can pull off something special.
It sure has proved thus far it can close out a series if given the opportunity.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
