Golden Knights’ Playoff Gameday Preview: Game 6 at Ducks

Welcome to another Vegas Golden Knights’ Playoff Gameday Preview! The Golden Knights are one win away from a fifth trip to the Western Conference Final. They just need to take care of business on the road against the Anaheim Ducks, and they will be onto the next round.

Golden Knights’ Playoff Gameday Preview: Game 6 at Ducks (Vegas Leads 3-2)

The Golden Knights won Game 5, 3-2, in overtime to put themselves in this strong position. The hero of the game was forward Pavel Dorofeyev, who scored two goals, including the game-winner in overtime. However, there was a brief time in the second period where the Golden Knights were unsure if they would have him on the ice at all after he blocked a shot off the right knee and left the ice. Thankfully for Vegas, he only missed a few minutes.

Projected Lineup (Subject to Change)

• Ivan Barbashev – Jack Eichel – Pavel Dorofeyev
• Brett Howden – William Karlsson – Mitch Marner
• Brandon Saad – Tomas Hertl – Colton Sissons
• Cole Smith – Nic Dowd – Keegan Kolesar
• Kaedan Korczak – Shea Thedore
• Noah Hanifin – Rasmus Andersson
• Ben Hutton – Dylan Coghlan
• Carter Hart/Adin Hill

The Golden Knights will be shorthanded in Game 6. Defenseman Brayden McNabb has been suspended for a game following his hit on Ryan Poehling in Game 5. McNabb was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct. In addition to McNabb, the Golden Knights are expected to still be without captain Mark Stone, who has missed the last two games with an undisclosed injury.

Team Leaders

Marner leads the team in points (19) and plus/minus rating (plus-9). Dorofeyev and Howden are now tied with the team lead in goals with seven each. Eichel continues to lead with 14 assists. Lastly, among the skaters, McNabb, courtesy of his major penalty in Game 5, now leads in penalty minutes with 19.

Hart continues to be the only goaltender to see action for Vegas. In 11 games, he is posting a 2.49 goals-against average (GAA) and a .912 save percentage (SV%).

Storyline #1 – Next Man Up

No Stone and McNabb will make finishing off the Ducks harder. However, this does create an opportunity for someone to step up. Saad will likely remain in the lineup. For McNabb, Korczak will likely return to the lineup in his place. The Golden Knights will need to jumble their pairings to find the right pairs for Game 6.

The playoffs are a time for unexpected heroes to emerge. Who could that person be for the Golden Knights? Who will truly be the “next man up”? Depth scoring has been a theme of these gameday previews, and it continues to hold a prominent place in this one.

Storyline #2 – Hertl Finding His Groove?

Prior to Game 4, Hertl had not scored a single goal in the playoffs. However, he has now scored in back-to-back games. With Stone likely out again for Game 6, the Golden Knights will turn to other means of offense. The Czech scored 24 goals in the regular season and is a former 30-plus goal scorer, so he is no stranger to scoring goals.

However, he does not have the best playoff resume. He scored 10 goals for the San Jose Sharks in 2019, when the team reached the Western Conference Final, but that is the only time he has scored more than six in a postseason. He has not scored more than three in his three playoff runs with Vegas.

There is no time like the present for Hertl to find his scoring touch. His goals in back-to-back games are a nice start.

Storyline #3 – Vegas Needs Resilience to Carry Over Into Game 6

Game 5 was not easy for the Golden Knights. In fact, there were plenty of opportunities for the wheels to fall off the wagon. McNabb’s game misconduct early in the game meant the other five defensemen had to pick up the slack. Theodore saw 30 minutes of ice time, while Andersson and Hanifin played over 26 minutes each. The wear and tear on the shorthanded defense could have led to a broken play and a Ducks’ goal, especially in overtime, but the Golden Knights stayed with it.

In addition to McNabb’s misconduct, there were questionable calls that could have frustrated the team so much that they started making foolish mistakes. Head coach John Tortorella even voiced his confusion when a hit on Coughlan was not called at the end of regulation.

The team won a game they easily could have lost. Now, they have an opportunity to eliminate the Ducks in Game 6. The Golden Knights showed a lot about their character by being resilient in Game 5. That will not only help the team in Game 6, but down the road, should they advance.

How to Watch

Game 6 starts at 6:30 P.M. Pacific Time. It can be seen on TNT, truTV, and HBO Max.

Be sure to check in with The Hockey Writers for more playoff coverage!