Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press
Dallas Stars’ Tyler Seguin, left, is escorted off the ice by a staff member and Nils Lundkvist, after taking a hit to the face by Vegas Golden Knights’ Alex Pietrangelo in the second period in Game 5 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series in Dallas, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Pietrangelo recieved a penalty on the play.
Friday, May 3, 2024 | 2 a.m.
Composure is the focus for the Golden Knights going into Game 6 of their first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Dallas Stars.
Players say they can’t let the Stars take over the game’s momentum and they can’t panic when they’re down, especially considering it’s an elimination game for the defending champs.
After winning the initial two games of the best-of-seven-game series, Vegas has dropped three in a row and will be fighting for the right to play another day when the puck drops at 7 p.m. today at T-Mobile Arena. The game is being televised on TNT.
“There’s going to be momentum shifts throughout the series and we’ve got to handle that with composure,” Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez said after Wednesday night’s 3-2 loss in Dallas. “We let our emotions get the best of us in the second and in penalty trouble.”
“We got away from our game and had a little too much panic in our game. We’ve got to handle the emotional side of it.”
The Golden Knights are one of the heaviest-hitting teams in the playoffs, averaging 49 hits a game, but coach Bruce Cassidy said the team needed to be better at managing its aggressiveness.
Penalties have cost the Golden Knights in the past two games, including Wednesday’s defeat when four of them in the second period led to two power-play goals by the Stars, including the game-winner.
“We need to make some adjustments on how we kill (penalties),” Cassidy said. “I thought we made adjustments as the game went on. … We have to take care of our discipline. We just have to.”
There’s not much room for error in this series, and Vegas defenseman Noah Hanifin said there have been frustrating moments when Dallas was “batting” the Knights around.
“The way they play, they’re in your face, play a fast game and are trying to take off a lot,” Hanifin said. “You feel like you’re being batted around a little bit, and it can get frustrating, but you’ve just got to battle through it.”
Vegas has not been in a “must-win” situation since it lost to Montreal in Game 6 of the 2022 Stanley Cup semifinals.
It hasn’t had to face elimination at home since Game 5 of the 2018 Stanley Cup Final, when the Golden Knights fell to the Washington Capitals during Vegas’ magical run in its maiden season.
Still maintaining a large group of players that won the Stanley Cup last season, the Golden Knights have faith in their veteran experience to successfully navigate the series back to Dallas for Game 7, which would be Sunday.
“These guys have been through the grind and know what it takes to win,” Hanifin said. “It’s not going to be easy, and every year is different. There’s going to be momentum swings throughout the playoffs.
“I think teams that can stay even-keeled will be successful in the end. We’ve got a veteran group here of guys that have played a long time, been through playoff runs and know what it takes.”
[email protected] / 702-259-8814 / @jackgwilliams