ANAHEIM, Calif. — Making the Western Conference final was an obtainable goal for the Vegas Golden Knights.
It just didn’t seem feasible two months ago after making a shocking coaching change so late in the season.
The Knights are living proof that logic tends to not make too much sense this time of year. They’re going to the Western conference final for the fifth time in nine years after finishing off the Anaheim Ducks in six games.
Next up? The behemoth Colorado Avalanche.
Just like they did in the first round against the Utah Mammoth, the Knights overcame adversity.
They never trailed in the semifinal series, but it was tied 2-2 heading into Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena. They had to win without captain Mark Stone (lower body) and defenseman Jeremy Lauzon (upper body).
In Game 6, they had to find a way without defenseman Brayden McNabb (suspension). Down all three, the Knights cruised to a 5-1 win at Honda Center on Thursday.
Here are five reasons why the Knights advanced:
Marner Magic
Here’s all you need to know about how good Mitch Marner was.
The Ducks’ players combined for 36 points in the series. Marner, himself, had 11.
It was a clinic from the Knights’ star winger, who came to Las Vegas on July 1 because he felt it was his best opportunity to win a championship.
Through two rounds, Marner has flipped the Toronto narrative that he’s not a playoff performer with a league-high 18 points to go with seven goals.
“It feels great,” Marner said. “We worked extremely hard all these little goals we set throughout the year. Another one achieved.”
He’s also shown that he can shut the door with three goals and five points in both of the Knights’ close-out games.
Marner followed his first career playoff hat trick in Game 3 with the goal of the playoffs on Thursday. Nine of his 11 points in the series came in Games 3-6.
It’s not the end of the road. It won’t matter to Marner until he hoists a large, silver trophy over his head.
But the Knights don’t have a chance to play for that trophy if Marner didn’t show he was worth the $96 million he signed for last summer.
It also can’t go unnoticed the chemistry he and Brett Howden have developed, with Howden scoring three goals in the series, including his NHL-record-tying third short-handed goal of the playoffs in Game 6.
Marner has assisted on all three of them.
“I feel like me and Mitch are kind of building a little something here. I’m learning to read off of him and his instincts,” Howden said. “He’s made some incredible plays.”
Hart settles in
It’s quite remarkable that Carter Hart has continued this run.
That’s not a question about his talent. It’s about the short runway he had — becoming the starter after missing two months with a lower-body injury, seizing the starting job after John Tortorella took over, and getting better as the playoffs went on.
Hart improved to 8-4 in the postseason following a 31-save effort in Game 6. He allowed 12 goals through six games. Four of them came in his only bad outing in Game 4.
He stopped 65 of his next 68 shots to close out the series.
“Carter’s a good goalie,” Tortorella said after Game 3.
It’s a combination of the Knights playing better defensively and Hart making saves as the last line of defense.
Hart was much better than Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal, one of the best young goalies in the league. Dostal finished with an .870 save percentage and 3.54 goals-against average in the playoffs.
He’s about to face stiffer competition in Colorado, and he’s going to need to bring something similar if the Knights are to have a chance.
Superb short-handed
If you look at the penalty killing numbers at base value and see the Knights went 20 for 24 in the series, you’d think that was OK.
Take away the fact the Knights gave up four power-play goals in the final three games, putting them at 33 of 38 (86.8 percent) for the playoffs, and the PK was dominant again.
The PK stifled an Anaheim power play that went 8 for 16 in the first round against the Edmonton Oilers. The Knights killed the first 11 power plays of the series.
Anaheim broke through in Game 4 with two goals on the man advantage, the only leaky showing from the Knights in the series.
The Knights were one minute away in Game 5 from killing off the five-minute major from McNabb, but couldn’t seal the deal.
Anaheim’s power-play goal in Game 6 came when the Ducks were down 3-0 in the second period.
It was timely kills. It was dominant kills. Much like it’s been all playoffs.
“I think it’s just attention to detail,” center Jack Eichel said. “(Assistant coach John Stevens) takes a lot of pride in it, and I think he does a really good job of conveying his message in our game plan. It’s just about getting the four guys on the ice on the same page and knowing what everyone’s responsibilities are.”
Dorofeyev delivers
Last year was a learning experience for Pavel Dorofeyev.
He found out quickly that time and space disappears in the playoffs, and you have to find a way.
Dorofeyev is a fast learner — going from being benched in the first round, to scoring a playoff-high nine goals in the last nine games, with five coming in the last three games of this series.
Dorofeyev saved his best efforts in Game 5, after he blocked a shot that took him out for the majority of the second period, only to come back and score the game-winner in overtime.
“The puck seems to follow him,” Tortorella said. “He’s a good player. A good two-way player.”
He followed that with another two-goal game Thursday. Someone had to pick up the offensive slack with Stone missing the last three games, and Dorofeyev did his part.
Dorofeyev has continued to evolve, both with his game and battling the mental gymnastics that come with playoff hockey.
Also, that contract of his that he’s getting this summer as a restricted free agent continues to get richer.
Karlsson’s return
The series progressed as if William Karlsson was never gone.
He stepped back into the lineup after six months away with a lower-body injury and played as if he never left.
It took Game 1 to get his legs back under him, but he found his stride from Game 2 on. Karlsson skated with Howden and Marner starting in Game 3. It was the best line of the series.
Karlsson finished with three assists and a plus-5 in Games 3-6. No helper was better than the stretch pass to Marner for his highlight-reel goal 1:02 into Game 6.
The Knights hurt all season not having Karlsson’s speed and defensive prowess in the lineup. They were outshot 25-17 with Karlsson, Howden and Marner on the ice, according to Natural Stat Trick, but they outscored the Ducks 2-0.
“When we start cycling there, I think we’re doing a good job supporting each other and we always have someone available,” Karlsson said. “It’s just been clicking.”
That line is going to draw a tougher matchup in Round 3, but it’s a lot easier to handle Colorado with a healthy Karlsson than without.
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.
