Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP
Vancouver Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko (35) makes a save as Vegas Golden Knights’ Paul Stastny (26) and Canucks’ Alexander Edler (23) look for a rebound during the third period of Game 5 of an NHL hockey second-round playoff series, Tuesday, Sept. 1, 2020, in Edmonton, Ontario.
Thursday, Sept. 3, 2020 | 2 a.m.
The Golden Knights will take a second attempt at ending their playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 at 6:45 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.
This is the third Game 6 in the Golden Knights’ three-year history, both coming against the San Jose Sharks. In 2018, Vegas eliminated the Sharks in the second round; in 2019, they dropped Game 6, and eventually the series.
Here are three keys to victory against the Canucks, sponsored by Credit One Bank.
Don’t overcorrect
The Golden Knights are 10-3 in the season’s restart, and they’ve done it by playing their style of hockey. Vegas plays a possession-minded game that has helped them to near the top of the leaderboard in most shot attempts per game and fewest shot attempts allowed. Their forwards take care of the puck and their defensemen join the rush. It’s worked for 13 games, and one strong performance from Vancouver goalie Thatcher Demko doesn’t change that. If Vegas continues to play like it has all season, there’s a good chance the series wraps up tonight.
Score early and often
The Golden Knights shut out the Canucks in Games 1 and 3 of the series, thanks in part to some early goals. But that wasn’t the case in the past two games, including Vancouver’s win on Tuesday, when the Canucks answered Vegas’ first goal with one of their own shortly after. The Golden Knights need to put some early distance between themselves and Vancouver, and not allow the Canucks enough time to hang around to steal a victory.
Win
The last thing the Golden Knights want to do is play in a Game 7, where they would be facing a Vancouver squad with all of the momentum, having won two elimination games. Also, Vegas coughed up a 3-1 series lead last season in falling to the Sharks, meaning last year’s demons could play into the team’s psyche.
