John Locher/AP
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Carey Price (31) blocks a shot by Vegas Golden Knights right wing Reilly Smith (19) during the third period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup semifinal playoff series Tuesday, June 22, 2021, in Las Vegas.
Thursday, June 24, 2021 | 3 p.m.
Even after Tuesday’s Game 5 loss, there was a sense of calm within the Golden Knights camp that permeated into the travel day Wednesday and morning skate today. The team has been in this position before, though the situation tonight is dire.
The Golden Knights take on the Montreal Canadiens at 5 p.m. in a bid to keep their season alive. Montreal leads the semifinal series 3-2 and has a chance to clinch a spot in the Stanley Cup Final at home on Saint-John-Baptiste Day, a provincial holiday in Quebec. Vegas needs a win and is determined to get it.
“I think we have a lot of confidence,” forward Reilly Smith said. “It’s a do-or-die game and we’re excited about the challenge and the opportunity to win this one and go back home for Game 7.”
One subplot of this series is the goaltending, even if it’s not one of the most pressing issues facing Vegas. Robin Lehner is expected to start Game 6 after a terrific Game 4 where he kept the Golden Knights alive long enough to net the equalizer and win in overtime. Marc-Andre Fleury has been good this series outside of a mistake that cost Vegas Game 3, but he couldn’t overcome numerous defensive mistakes by the team in front of him last time out.
The Golden Knights have issues they need to sort out, and if they don’t, it doesn’t matter who the goalie is. The forwards still aren’t scoring. The power play is still lifeless. They’ve taken until the third period to arrive the last two games. Montreal has executed its game plan to perfection for much of this series and does not look like the overmatched team many predicted entering the series.
The Canadiens play their best hockey with a lead. They are, at their core, a defensive team anchored by a strong top-four on the blue line and a rock star in goal. If they get the lead, they’re hard to stop, evidenced by their 10-2 record when scoring first.
“You’re playing with more confidence, you’re more calm if you’re up,” Vegas forward Tomas Nosek said. “It’s an advantage to score the first goal, but it’s not the end of the world.”
Outside of Lehner, the Golden Knights are projecting just one lineup change from the skaters. Nick Holden, who played the last seven games, was working with the extras during morning skate, while Nicolas Hague was not. Holden lost his defensive assignment in the first period Tuesday, leading to the Canadiens’ first goal. Hague last played in Game 4 of the previous round against Colorado.
The Golden Knights have never extended a series when facing elimination, with all their victories in win-or-go home games coming in a Game 7. They are 2-3 all-time in elimination games but three of those are Game 7 (2-1 record). They lost in Game 5 against the Capitals in 2018 and in Game 5 against Dallas last season.
Stanley Cup Playoffs Round 3
Series: Canadiens lead 3-2
TV: USA Network (DirecTV 242, Cox 34, CenturyLink 125)
Radio: Fox Sports 1340 AM and 98.9 FM
Betting line: Golden Knights minus-145, Canadiens plus-125; over/under: 5 (minus-130, plus-110)
Golden Knights (10-8, West Division No. 2 seed)
Coach: Pete DeBoer (second season)
Points leader: William Karlsson (14)
Goals leader: Jonathan Marchessault (6)
Assists leader: William Karlsson (10)
Expected goalie: Robin Lehner (3.97 GAA, .877 save percentage)
Canadiens (11-5, North Division No. 4 seed)
Coach: Dominique Ducharme (first season)
Points leader: Tyler Toffoli (14)
Goals leaders: Joel Armia, Nick Suzuki, Tyler Toffoli (5)
Assists leaders: Tyler Toffoli (9)
Expected goalie: Carey Price (2.02 GAA, .933 save percentage)
Golden Knights projected lineup
Forwards
Max Pacioretty—Chandler Stephenson—Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault—William Karlsson—Reilly Smith
Mattias Janmark—Nicolas Roy—Alex Tuch
William Carrier—Tomas Nosek—Keegan Kolesar
Defensemen
Alec Martinez—Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb—Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague—Zach Whitecloud
Goalies
Robin Lehner, Marc-Andre Fleury
