Marner key for Knights vs. Ducks in Round 2

LAS VEGAS — When John Tortorella replaced Bruce Cassidy as the Vegas Golden Knights’ head coach back in late March, he had to decide who to hitch his wagon to.

Carter Hart was an easy call. Torts knew him from their days in Philadelphia and Adin Hill was struggling in the Vegas net. But he needed one of his skaters to be the guy he could rely on.

Would it be Jack Eichel or Noah Hanifin, both of whom he had coached with Team USA in the Olympics in February? Would it be captain Mark Stone? Or Shea Theodore?

Tortorella chose Mitch Marner.

He’d known Marner from trying to slow him down during Marner’s days in Toronto. He knew how good Marner can be. And while Torts may tell you he treats all of his players the same, the fact is he doesn’t. No coach does. Unless you were Vince Lombardi and there was the famous line from Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Henry Jordan — “He treats us all alike. Like dogs.”

So Tortorella decided to ride with Marner. Good move. It paid off, both late in the season as the Knights went 7-0-1 to clinch the Pacific Division and make the playoffs and in the opening round vs. Utah, particularly in Game 6 as Marner scored twice and had an assist as the Knights defeated the Mammoth 5-1 to advance.

He has seven points in the postseason, second on the team to Eichel’s nine. He is driving Vegas’ second line that has Stone and Reilly Smith on his flanks, though sometimes it’s Brett Howden or Pavel Dorofeyev. It depends on Tortorella’s whims at a given moment. He can play on the wing or in the middle. He’s on both special teams units.

So if you’re Joel Quenneville, the Anaheim Ducks’ coach, how do you deal with Marner, beginning tonight in Game 1 at T-Mobile Arena?  Do you break up what worked vs. Edmonton to hopefully slow down Marner?

And don’t bring up Connor McDavid if you’re going to compare situations. He got hurt early in the Edmonton series and wasn’t close to being the same player that he normally is. No, Coach Q has to devise a plan tailored specifically to handle Marner.

He was limited to just one goal in three games vs. Anaheim during the regular season, all won by the Ducks, two in overtime, all by the same 4-3 score. Things are vastly different since the last meeting back on Feb. 1. Hart is now in net for Vegas, not Hill or Akira Schmid. Cassidy is no longer behind the bench. Vegas didn’t have center William Karlsson for the last two meetings after Karlsson got hurt vs. Anaheim on Nov. 8. There’s a good chance he returns during this series and perhaps he and Marner will be on the same line.

Anaheim is a different team too. It added veterans John Carlson, Chris Kreider and Jacob Trouba to go with its core of youngsters. Pat Verbeek, the Ducks’ general manager, has done a masterful job of blending the lineup and building a roster that has speed, skill and experience. It’s basically Utah but better.

So as good as Marner played against the Mammoth, he may need to raise his game another notch against Anaheim for the Knights to advance. He’s capable of doing that and Tortorella will find spots in the lineup that allow him to excel.

Marner has handled it well. The scrutiny he was constantly under in Toronto doesn’t exist here at T-Mobile Arena. He has been friendly, cooperative, insightful and has fit in extremely well in the Knights’ locker room. And he’s going to be here for a while thanks to the eight-year extension he signed after Kelly McCrimmon traded for him on July 1.

He’s having fun. He’s playing at a high level and he’s motivated. That’s a formula for success. And with a coach who trusts his game and allows him to perform with freedom within his system, Marner is going to be a big part of what happens in this series. If the Knights prevail vs. Anaheim, which there's a good chance they will, they'll have Marner to thank for extending their season.