Peter Deboer has provided cover and shown his support. Now it’s up to the Vegas Golden Knights forwards to deliver the goods.
Otherwise, there’s a strong chance the Dallas Stars will advance to the Stanley Cup Final and the Golden Knights will be heading to next-year country.
You can go right ahead and call it an oversimplification if you like, but outside of an otherwordly showing from Robin Lehner in Game 5 or another virtuoso performance from Shea Theodore, the Golden Knights are going to need more from their big guns up front in order to extend this series.
DeBoer wasn’t about to call out those players publicly during his Zoom session on Sunday’s off-day.
That’s not how DeBoer rolls and it’s not necessary in all cases, even if the approach seemed to work well after Stars interim head coach Rick Bowness asked for more from his top forwards following Game 2.
Different strokes for different folks, as the saying goes.
Instead of finger-pointing or asking for more, DeBoer was simply looking for more of the same.
With one essential caveat: better finish.
“I’ve said before, you can’t coach the puck into the net,” DeBoer said. “When a goalie is hot, if he can’t see it, he can’t stop it. So, we have to get bodies there. Other than that, we created enough looks with the puck in the right people’s hands. We’ve just got to stay with it.”
As the Golden Knights get set to face elimination for the second time in these playoffs, it’s easy to identify the biggest problem: finding a way to solve the riddle that is Stars goalie Anton Khudobin.
If you look back over the course of hockey history, it’s littered with stories of netminders who get on a roll at the right time and occasionally put the team on their back for a dramatic run.
This isn’t just one goalie that’s given the Golden Knights trouble, as Thatcher Demko delivered a heroic performance late in the conference semifinal after Jacob Markstrom went down with an injury.
The Golden Knights have never been a team that relies on one player or one line to provide offence, it’s a collective approach.
Having said that, you don’t have to look far to find a list of guys who haven’t been producing at their usual levels.
Those guys don’t need the head coach to point it out for them. They’re well aware.
Vegas's regular season scoring leader, Max Pacioretty, has just one assist during his past seven games, though he has generated 27 shots on goal during that stretch.
Jonathan Marchessault has no goals and two assists during his past 10 games, while frequent linemate Reilly Smith has no goals and three assists during the same span.
Even Alex Tuch, who has been a force on many nights, has only one goal and one assist during the past eight games.
Making matters worse for the Golden Knights, Mark Stone blocked a Joe Pavelski shot with his right foot and was labouring during the third period after he returned to action. While showing plenty of determination to even finish the game, it’s tough to imagine Stone being anywhere close to 100 per cent in Game 4.
He’ll give everything he can if he can play, but other guys are going to need to step up. That’s the reality of the situation.
Lehner has done his part, just like Marc-Andre Fleury did when he was a bit of a surprise starter in the series opener.
Goaltending is not the issue for the Golden Knights, who have only allowed six goals through four games.
Most times, that low a goals-against number would not result in a team being down in a series, let alone hanging on for dear life.
DeBoer has been preaching patience throughout the series and you can’t really blame him. The quality scoring chances have been there on most nights, as have the possession numbers.
About the only thing lacking is goals, as the Golden Knights have been limited to six during the four games -- including three in Game 2.
As for the failed two-man advantage during the third period of Game 4, DeBoer would like a do-over but knows that’s simply not possible. So, instead of focusing on what hasn’t gone well, DeBoer urged his group to stick with it and not abandon the foundation that has made them successful.
“The worst thing we can do is analyze this to death and start changing a bunch of things,” DeBoer said. “If you can throw out double the amount of high-danger scoring chances on a given night, you’re going to win most games. You’ve got to trust that eventually that will come around and swing your way.”
This is not to ignore what the Stars have done in this series, since this isn’t exactly a Cinderella story.
The Stars have done a sensational job defensively against a potent Golden Knights team that features plenty of depth.
Dallas has been knocking on the door and building toward this moment.
Can they deliver the knockout punch or will the Golden Knights find a way to pick themselves up off the mat?
“We’ve positioned ourselves very nicely with this series, but as of right now it’s only 3-1 and we’re going to have to play a better game to close out the series,” Stars left-winger Andrew Cogliano said.
One thing the Golden Knights won’t do is panic.
DeBoer doesn’t have to look far for an example of a team overcoming a 3-1 series deficit, as he was the bench boss of the San Jose Sharks outfit that did just that against the Golden Knights in the playoffs last spring.
“Whether it’s a line getting hot for a night, a power-play win, a goalie win, a penalty-kill win, you’ve just got to find a way,” DeBoer said. “Yeah, I’m confident. You have to win in order to give yourselves a chance and that’s what we’re concentrating on.
“There were three of the four series last round where there were 3-1 deficits and all three ended up in a Game 7. This isn’t unheard of. It’s a unique year, so I think, with no home-ice advantage, it’s even more of an option. We’re prepared for the battle.”
The Golden Knights have ample playoff experience they plan to lean on as they begin the process of trying to put together a three-game winning streak to keep their season alive.
“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves or anything. The playoffs are never over until it’s over,” Marchessault said. “You can’t look at it like a big mountain right now. Let’s focus on tomorrow. We have a lot of scoring chances. We’ve created a lot still. We just can’t find the back of the net. That’s for everybody. It’s something we’re going to get out of it all together and pushing all in the same direction, being all on the same page. There’s no quitters in that locker room. So I know we’re going to battle until the end.
“We’re playing the right way. We’re not giving a lot of scoring chances. We just can’t bear down. It’s adversity you’re going to face in the playoffs. We’re going to face hot goalies, we’re going to face offensive power, like Vancouver had a good power play, stuff like that. We’re going to face all of that.
"We know what makes us successful. We can’t look too far. We’ve got to take care of business tomorrow and see where it brings us.”