Knights look to get greedy in Game 2 vs. Canes
Steve Carp
Host · Writer
RALEIGH, N.C. — For the Vegas Golden Knights, the script never changes.
Fall behind? No worries. Get the lead? Fine. Panic? Never. Not even in the team’s vocabulary.
So the Knights did what they do. They forced turnovers. They blocked shots. They got timely saves from Carter Hart, particularly late in the game when the Carolina Hurricanes made a big push trying to tie the game. And they got contributions up and down the lineup offensively, with Tomas Hertl emerging as the hero with his game-winning goal coming with 3:24 to play and Shea Theodore having a three-point performance with a goal and two assists.
In the aftermath of Vegas’ 5-4 win in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final which saw nine different players register at least one point, it forced a shift of philosophy for the Hurricanes heading into Game 2 Thursday night at the Lenovo Center. For Carolina, the pressure is on to win and not fall behind 0-2 in the best-of-7 series when the scene shifts to T-Mobile Arena for Game 3 Saturday.
The Canes had squandered an early 2-0 lead after 12 minutes and they found themselves in a battle they probably didn’t anticipate. After all, teams that trailed by multiple goals in Game 1 of the SCF were 0-55.
The Knights? They have the luxury of being greedy, much the way they were able to be in the Western Conference Final against Colorado where they won Game 1 on the road and parlayed that into winning Game 2 and ultimately sweeping the Avalanche in advancing to the Stanley Cup Final.
“Not for a second,” coach John Tortortella said when asked Wednesday if the message changes now that his team got a win on the road. “To me, that’s common sense. You win one, you want to win the next one. You don’t want to let any momentum slip away. That’s not extraordinary. That’s just preparing to play the next game and try to win.”
It also follows Tortorella’s mantra of trying to get better with each game in the series. He has said it in each of the three previous series and said it again following Game 1 when he met with the media Wednesday at the team’s hotel in Raleigh.
“We have things we need to clean up,” he said. “There were parts of our game I liked even when we were down 2-0. The key was getting one before they got to three.
“We’re going to have to play better. We find a way to win a game but we’re going to have to be better as we go into Game 2.”
What worked in Game 1 and what has worked throughout the playoffs is the contributions coming from up and down the lineup. Vegas doesn’t rely on its stars to carry the load. Everyone chips in.
And when nine different players are on the scoresheet, that makes the coach’s job easier.
“I think what it does it allows us to roll four lines and three D,” said center Nic Dowd. “Eventually you wear down the other team because everyone’s contributing.”
Mark Stone said: “I think it speaks to the way the team was built. Everybody contributes. That’s what we had (in 2023).”
Tortorella said it’s important to get good play from your bottom six forwards.
“In the playoffs, your third and fourth lines are sometimes your most important lines,” he said.
But what the Knights also did to win Game 1 didn’t necessarily show up on the scoresheet. It was Keegan Kolesar screening Frederik Andersen on Shea Theodore’s first-period goal. It was Jeremy Lauzon clearing pucks from out in front of Hart when he was out of position before a Carolina player could get his stick on it. It was Mitch Marner blocking a shot in the final seconds to prevent the Canes from tying the game.
"We kept our patience,” Tortorella said. “We still made some mistakes at crucial times in the second and third period. But we stayed together. That’s the biggest attribute I’ve seen with this team. They don’t break apart. And that gets you through tough situations.”
Tortorella expects the Hurricanes to bring their best effort Thursday. He also knows his team is ready to meet the moment.
“We’re playing against a very good team,” he said. “We‘re going to have things happen to us tomorrow and we’re going to have to stick together and find a way.”
