RALEIGH, N.C. – They talked about it after Game 1 of the Western Conference Final at Colorado.
They hadn’t come on the road for a split. They wanted to sweep both games. Wanted to really put the favored Avalanche in a major hole and bind.
They wanted to exhibit a killer instinct.
It might be best to do so a second time.
The Vegas Golden Knights have again won the opening game of a best-of-seven playoff series, this a 5-4 final against Carolina on Tuesday night in the Stanley Cup Final at the Lenovo Center.
Game 2 is on Thursday. Yet another opportunity to have a favored opponent staring at a decisive deficit.
“We’re focused,” Knights coach John Tortorella said. “Momentum swings happen quickly, and we want to keep the momentum on our side. The (message) doesn’t change for a second. To me, it’s common sense. You win one, you want to win the next one. That’s not extraordinary to me. That’s just getting ready to play the next game.
“No question, we’re looking for two (wins).”
Embrace adversity
You can’t imagine how big a 2-0 series lead heading back to Las Vegas would be in the grand picture of a Cup Final. Confidence won’t be lacking for the Knights. They have plenty of it.
They also embrace adversity. They thrive off it.
It’s not on purpose, of course. Nobody wants to get down 2-0 in Game 1 in front of such an ultra loud and enthusiastic crowd. But that’s what happened to the Knights on Tuesday.
They then became the first road team in NHL history to stage a multi-goal comeback victory in Game 1 of the final. That took some gumption.
“We know, in these playoffs, how our team is strong, how we hold together, how we help each other,” forward Tomas Hertl said. “There will always be bad bounces. That’s hockey. But it doesn’t matter now.”
They’ll have to be better to win Game 2, have to handle the Hurricanes’ pressure at a more consistent clip. Vegas was, in a manner, fortunate to win the first game. But it did. All that matters.
You just never know how things are going to play out. Both teams were good defensively at times on Tuesday and both weren’t at others. Both capitalized on mistakes. Both had lots of positives and negatives to teach off of once looking at the tape.
“Starting on the road is never easy, but if you can get one and then steal two, it’s a lot of fun,” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “That was a loud building, a fun atmosphere to play in front of. Just had to get used to it. Took a little breath and got back to our game.”
How best to win back-to-back road playoff games?
Have players who aren’t scared of the moment.
The Knights feature them throughout their lineup, a deep team that resembles the 2023 Cup championship side that rolled four lines and three defensive pairs capable of making a difference nightly.
You can also talk all you want about having that killer instinct, but not everyone does. It takes a special player.
Not all are prepared for the moment.
“I think all of them enjoy playoff hockey,” Tortorella said. “It is the guys that embrace it and are not afraid. I think sometimes guys get a little nervous about the situation.”
He treats them like men. Is brutally honest. Nobody leaves the building without knowing where he stands, both good and bad. So it happened that during a timeout early Tuesday, his team down two goals, that Tortorella calmed the sense of emotion.
There was so much hockey left to be played.
There was so much time left.
Match intensity
It could be the same way on Thursday should things again go Carolina’s way to start. The Hurricanes will come with a huge push from the outset. Vegas needs to try and match it.
“I mean, obviously we’ll play the game to win, a situation similar to (Game 2 in) Colorado,” defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. “You know, all your focus is always on the next game. You want to win every game you play. We’re going to do everything we can to win.”
A little killer instinct would help.
You can’t imagine how big a 2-0 series lead would be.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com. Follow @edgraney on X.
