The Vegas Golden Knights may be the favorites in their playoff series with the Anaheim Ducks, but they have their hands full as the showdown shifts to Southern California for Friday’s Game 3.
The Western Conference semifinal is tied 1-1, but the Ducks were the better team in both contests, especially the 3-1 victory on Wednesday that evened the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series.
“We’re two games removed from probably the best game we’ve played, or one of our best games all season,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said in reference to the Knights’ 5-1 victory over the Utah Mammoth on May 1 to secure the first-round series. “It hasn’t been our best the last two, but the good news is we can improve. It’s not like we’ve played our best hockey, and we’re 1-1.”
The younger Ducks used their speed in both contests to out-chance and out-shoot the Golden Knights, with that ability impacting the teams all over the ice.
Being assessed eight minutes in penalties in the first six minutes of Game 2 did not help Vegas’ execution — even if the Ducks failed to capitalize on the string of power plays — because the Golden Knights could not get in sync until the third period.
“We need to have the puck more in their end,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “A lot of times, we’re one and done. We need to create more pressure there, and I think that will hurt their attack.”
The quest for the Golden Knights, who finished atop the Pacific Division, is to use their veteran savvy to turn the series.
“We’re going to keep our composure, get about our business,” Tortorella said. “As I’ve said, this team has always been really good in these types of situations, so I have full confidence we’re going to try to find our way.”
The Ducks return home brimming with confidence from the Game 2 victory and having sported a perfect record (3-0) in their arena during the opening-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. They also are boosted by how they played the first two games of this series.
Anaheim made the playoffs for the first time in eight years because of its offensive attack, and that was on display against Edmonton. The Ducks were in the top half of the league offensively in the regular season (3.23 goals per game) and netted 26 goals in their six-game series to eliminate the Oilers.
However, the Ducks finished 29th in the league in goals against (3.51) during the regular season.
The Golden Knights were held to four goals in the first two games, with one an empty-net tally in their series-opening 3-1 win and another a meaningless goal with less than six seconds on the clock in Game 2 to snap Lukas Dostal’s shutout bid.
“That’s not our tradition, playing that type of game, a low-scoring affair …,” Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said. “This is the only way you’re going to be successful in the playoffs. You got to win games like (Wednesday). I think that we showed that it’s going to take everybody to play that type of game.”
The Ducks have kept the Golden Knights in check with their motors both on the forecheck and when defending. Gone are the days of hook-and-hold defensive play, and Anaheim is showing the new method of controlling play.
“I think the way to beat them is just outpacing them,” Ducks forward Ryan Poehling said. “It’s not just with speed. It’s how we play … guys are supporting one another. When we get in that rhythm and take quick shifts, it’s a hard team to play against.”
