LAS VEGAS – Stanley will be in the building. And probably, like, Carrot Top too.
Leading the Cup Final 3-1, the Washington Capitals — now underdogs on the betting line only — have a chance to end the Vegas Golden Knights’ incredible story and 44 years of franchise disappointment.
“It’s an interesting dynamic in the final,” considers Tom Wilson.
“Essentially it’s the hardest hockey you’re going to endure, but at the same time it’s the easiest because your goal is right there. The closer you get, the hungrier you get.”
Here’s what you need to know about Game 5, the first legitimate must-win in Vegas history.
Vegas shuffling the deck again?
Just as a dealer’s fresh shoe can change your run of fortune at the blackjack table, a juggled lineup has the potential to spark a momentum shift in a series. New look, new result?
That appears to be what Golden Knights coach Gerard Gallant is gunning for in Game 5. For Game 4’s 6-2 loss, he swapped out David Perron for Tomas Tatar to little effect.
For Game 5, depth wingers Ryan Carpenter and Ryan Reaves might be scratched, as both took part in Thursday’s lightly attended optional skate. Reaves scored in Game 1, but Carpenter is still searching for his first point in the series.
William Carrier, now healthy after missing the past 10 games due to an undisclosed injury, should take Reaves’s spot on the fourth line. Perron, who has been mostly ineffective this post-season, is poised to get back in.
Gallant, as always, is keeping his lineup card tight to the vest: “I’m not going to tell you. You’ll know in six hours.”
Karlsson ready, but he better show up
Eyebrows raised when Vegas’s 43-goal man, William Karlsson, was the lone absentee from Wednesday’s full practice, but the top-line centre warmed up Thursday morning and confirmed he feels ready.
“Maintenance day. Rest up. Body and soul,” Karlsson explained. “It’s do or die, so we better step up.”
The Swede need look no further than the mirror. In his 60 minutes of ice time in this series, Karlsson has but one goal and a total three shots on net. Sorely outmatched by Washington’s top unit, pressure is on the Karlsson line to both produce and shut down.
As one observer quipped, “Wild Bill? More like Mild Bill.”
Caps try to go four-for-four in close-out games
Fun fact: This newly confident edition of the Capitals has stomped on the throat of all three of its playoff combatants on the first opportunity. Columbus, Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay all failed to rally once they reached three losses.
The Capitals are shaking off that reputation as chokers.
“Maybe because we’ve talked about it so much. Guys are sick of hearing about it from the meetings. Sick of not getting it done. They all kind of blend together, but I think we have come out with great efforts every closing-out game, and we’re gonna need a big one,” defenceman John Carlson said.
“It just seems different this year. Everyone’s at a different place mentally and physically than we’ve been at in the past. We certainly know they’re a great team over there, and we have to have our A game.”
Knights admit they’ve been the lesser team
Most Golden Knights believe Game 4 was their best effort, and they lost 6-2.
That’s a frightening notion as they’re on the brink of the first four-game losing streak in club history.
“They were better than us, and that’s why they won three games,” Jonathan Marchessault said. “But, I think our last game we did a lot of good things and I think we’ve got to build off that.”
Added Gallant, “Washington has played an outstanding four games. They deserve to be up three games to one.”
Oh, boy.
As the team’s most decorated leader, Marc-Andre Fleury has made a point of pulling teammates aside and reminding them to remain calm and loose. Aggressive. Enjoy the opportunity before them.
“It’s the finals. It’s a big stage,” Fleury said. “We can’t be scared of losing. We gotta go out there and play hard and attack and be on our toes and we can create some good stuff.
Rare trifecta
Capitals fourth-line centre Jay Beagle has a chance to make history, or at least sports trivia.
A Washington championship would make Beagle the first player ever to capture the Kelly, Calder and Stanley Cups—a winner at all three levels of pro hockey in North America.
Meanwhile, former Nashville Predator James Neal could join the Marian Hossa Club if he loses the back-to-back finals with different teams.
No MarioKart for Trotz
Caving up in a suite with video game consoles to avoid the temptations of Vegas, a popular game among Capitals is MarioKart. But Barry Trotz steers away.
“They don’t need me in there. They’re too competitive. I’d get absolutely crucified there. They would demolish me in that,” the coach said.
“I’m not a video game guy. [Maybe] if you had Pong or something like that — that tells you where I come from.”
Beware the one-timer
A key tactic of the Caps offence is to catch Fleury off-guard with east-west passes and snap one-timers. They favour quality over quantity of shots, and it’s working.
“As a defenceman, you’ve got to have your head on a swivel,” Vegas’s Luca Sbisa said. “They find the open guys. Just make sure you take the backdoor away.
“Flower is the best goalie in the league. He’s going to stop the first shot. Take those other options away.”
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare admits they’ve been guilty of puck-watching. Better defensive coverage is critical to protect Fleury.
“You look at the goals, there’s not a whole lot he can do,” Gallant said. “I wish I could say he hasn’t played well. Our team has to play better defence.”
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