Las Vegas Sun

By Jesse Granger

Mon, Jun 4, 2018 (2 a.m.)

WASHINGTON — Already trailing the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final 2-1, the Golden Knights are in desperate need of a win tonight at Capital One Arena against Washington.

The Capitals bested Vegas 3-1 Saturday night, and have won two-straight games. Teams that take a 3-1 lead in a series win more than 90 percent of the time in the NHL playoffs, so tonight’s contest is crucial for the Golden Knights.

Here are the three keys for Vegas to get a win:

1. Simplify things and shoot the puck

The Golden Knights have scored some of the prettiest, highlight reel-worthy goals in the NHL this season. But the Capitals aren’t allowing it, pressuring the Golden Knights and giving them little time or space to score.

That means Vegas must use simpler plays, not try to make that extra pass on a possession, and just start firing the puck at the net more. The Golden Knights recorded only 22 shots on goal in Saturday night’s loss. They’ve only had fewer than that in three games this season.

“I thought they defended well,” Vegas forward James Neal said. “We were getting clogged up a little bit. They sit back. We gotta get pucks to the net. We didn’t have enough shots. We didn’t have enough bodies going to the net. They outbattled us. We’re going to look at that and fix it.”

The Golden Knights had a 5-on-3 opportunity late in Game 2 with a chance to tie the game, but the players seemed hesitant to shoot and eventually lost the game.

The fourth line has been their most consistent in this series. They’ve scored four goals and have put solid pressure on the Capitals in their own zone.

“I think we’re playing to our strengths,” fourth-line winger Ryan Reaves said. “We’re not the most skilled line but we’re a hard-working line. We’re keeping it simple in the defensive zone and getting it out. That’s working for us, but the whole team has to do it. We have to be better and every line has to be better.”

2. Second line must be better

The Golden Knights’ second line has plenty of firepower with Neal, Erik Haula and David Perron, but have been dominated through three games in the Stanley Cup Final.

Saturday night the line was on the ice for all three of Washington’s goals and finished the game with a negative-3 plus/minus.

“It’s not good enough from us,” Neal said. “We’ve got to be good defensively. We’ve gotta be real good offensively. For us, it’s unacceptable. We’ll regroup and be better next game.”

Perhaps the answer is moving Alex Tuch up to the second line. Perron has struggled in the postseason without a goal in 14 games after scoring 16 during the regular season.

“It’s not my decision for sure,” Perron said. “Whoever is going to go, we gotta be ready to put our best foot forward.”

Coach Gerard Gallant has juggled the two between the second and third lines all postseason, and after two-straight losses it could be time for another change. Regardless of who fills the second wing spot, the line must be better if the Golden Knights are going to come back in this series.

3. Youngsters need short memories

The Golden Knights have made it this far on the backs of young, inexperienced players having breakout seasons and shocking the hockey world.

Two of the biggest pieces of that are 22-year-olds Shea Theodore and Tuch. The two are roommates, and were also both involved in two of the plays this series that sealed losses for the Golden Knights.

In Game 2 Tuch got into a scoring position and one timed a shot into what appeared to be a wide open goal. But Capitals goalie Brayden Holtby made the save of his lifetime with the paddle of his stick and Washington won 3-2.

In Game 3, Theodore struggled with turnovers throughout, but none bigger than his giveaway late in the third period that ended up on the stick of Devante Smith-Pelly. He slipped the shot past Fleury to seal the game 3-1.

“He must forget it,” Vegas goalie Marc-Andre Fleury said about Theodore’s slip up. “It was a bit of the same story with Tuch after the second match. The series remain a marathon. We all make mistakes.”

Jesse Granger can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Jesse on Twitter at twitter.com/JesseGranger_.

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