Golden Knights Playoff Gameday Preview: Game 5 vs. Ducks

Welcome to another Vegas Golden Knights’ Playoff Gameday Preview! The Golden Knights and Anaheim Ducks are deadlocked at two games apiece. Both teams have won a game at home and on the road. Now the series has become a best-of-three, with a pivotal Game 5 approaching.

Golden Knights’ Gameday Playoff Preview: Game 5 vs. Ducks (Tied 2-2)

The Golden Knights’ normally reliable penalty kill failed them in Game 4, surrendering two goals in a 4-3 loss. Alex Killorn and Beckett Sennecke recorded a power-play goal and an assist to help the Ducks even the series. After a convincing Game 3 win, the Golden Knights had the opportunity to put the pressure on their rival, but the Ducks rose to the challenge, something Killorn praised his teammates for after the win:

“It’s a great rebound, a good, resilient game. I think there was a lot more urgency tonight. That’s kind of the way playoffs go. You don’t ever want to lose two in a row at home. You don’t want to go down 3-1 in a series. We made some adjustments. That’s just what playoffs is. They had a great game last time. We had a good game tonight, and we expect it to be a really good series going forward.”

Projected Lineup (Subject to Change)

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

Captain Mark Stone missed Game 4 with an undisclosed injury. Saad replaced him in the lineup. Stone’s availability for Game 5 is unknown at this time. In addition, defenseman Jeremy Lauzon has not played yet in the series following an injury sustained in Game 6 of the first round.

Team Leaders

Marner leads the Golden Knights in points (16) and plus/minus rating (plus-9). Howden leads the team in goals with seven. Eichel is the leader in assists with 12. Smith continues to lead the team in penalty minutes with 14.

Between the pipes, Hart is posting a 2.55 goals-against average (GAA) alongside a .908 save percentage (SV%).

Storyline #1 – Depth Scoring

A key to the Golden Knights’ first-round win was depth scoring. The need for it is growing amid Stone’s uncertainty for Game 5. The team did fine scoring goals in Game 4, but it was the usual suspects lighting the lamp. To get this big win, the Golden Knights will benefit from depth scoring, especially if Stone is out of the lineup again.

Sissons may be someone to watch in Game 5. He scored a big goal in the clinching win in the first round, but he also has playoff experience. He scored six goals during the 2017 Playoffs, helping the Nashville Predators reach the Stanley Cup Final. Saad could be another depth player to watch for similar reasons. He has 27 playoff goals in his career and has been on some deep runs in the postseason.

If Stone is able to play, that will help the lineup, but depth scoring will still be an important key to victory.

Storyline #2 – Do Not Let the Ducks’ Power Play Heat Up

The Golden Knights saw their excellent penalty killing struggle in Game 3. While everyone (or every unit) is allowed a bad game, it will be important that the penalty kill regains its form in Game 5. The Ducks currently rank among the best power plays in the league. It is a dangerous unit that can turn the tide of a game, as we saw in Game 4.

To help, the Golden Knights need to stay out of the penalty box. We are seeing a trend in this series: if the Golden Knights go to the box, they lose, even if they do not allow a power-play goal. In Game 2, the Ducks failed to score, but the time spent on the power play stopped the Golden Knights from finding their footing. In Game 4, the Ducks scored some big goals that flipped the game’s momentum.

For the Golden Knights to win this series, a strong penalty kill may not be enough. They need to stay out of the box altogether.

Storyline #3 – Animosity

Division rivals are playing in a playoff series. Animosity was expected at some point. After the first three games were calm, we finally saw that animosity in Game 4.

Multiple interference penalties were called in the first period as players continued to dish out hits, even away from the puck. McNabb was penalized for cross-checking Cutter Cauthier headfirst into the boards. Sennecke was also called for cross-checking Dowd late in the second period.

Animosity is part of the playoffs, so this is not a surprise by any means. The key will be which team can avoid the bad penalty, and which one can take advantage of the gift power play. We already know special teams will be a factor in this series. Animosity that leads to foolish penalties can flip momentum and possibly serve as a stepping stone towards elimination for one of these teams.

How to Watch

Game 5 starts at 6:30 P.M. Pacific Time. It can be viewed on ESPN.

Be sure to check back with The Hockey Writers for more playoff coverage! We are inching closer to the final four teams in the tournament. It will not be much longer before we know who will be competing for the Stanley Cup.