A lot gets said after a Stanley Cup playoff game. A mix of meaningful comments, subterfuge, hyperbole and modesty gets spewed out.
The winning side doesn’t want to overdo the praise and appear over-confident. Players are skilled at speaking a lot but saying little. The losing side can offer up false bravado in the face of doom. One must wade through the transcripts to cull wisdom. A lot of chafe gets left on the cutting room floor.
Friday night after his team lost 6-2, Anaheim Ducks coach Joel Quenneville reviewed Game 3 and previewed the rest of the series against Vegas in one telling response.
“They were desperate. They were hungrier,” Quenneville said. “I think there’s a lesson to take out of the game, and it’s only going to get harder every single game. Not going to get any easier. So, let's get ready to go to war. They play like they’re an experienced bunch and they know what is necessary as you progress in a series. They got our attention.”
Vegas now leads the series 2-1 with Game 4 set for tomorrow night in Anaheim.
The Ducks had played strong in Vegas when losing Game 1 before taking a convincing win in Game 2. The Golden Knights needed to answer in Game 3.
“I think we played better as a team tonight. Shot blocking, I thought we had good sticks, I thought we were better with time and space. There are still some things we need to clean up. We'll look at it again, we'll look at the tape and we'll go from there. Not all problems are solved because you win a game,” said Vegas coach John Tortorella. “You've got to keep on trying to get better. I just thought we entered the series tonight playing our game a little bit more than we have, but we're going to have to keep improving. I don't know how they're going to approach the next game. We're just going to continue to try to be better as a team. There's some areas that we still need to be more consistent at. There's a few players we're hoping that get going also. Yeah, so we just worry about our business. We know it's Game 4, and as the series ratchets up into these later games, the momentum swings, and it's more desperate hockey. So, we're just going to get ready to play and try to play the right way.”
The Golden Knights have the leading scorer in the playoffs in Mitch Marner, who has six goals and 13 points through nine games. Jack Eichel (1 goal, 10 assists) is right behind Marner tied with a group for second in scoring. Eichel’s 10 assists are tops so far in the postseason. Brett Howden is tied with Marner for the lead in goals at six.
Marner’s hattrick and four-point night in Game 3 led Vegas to the win and he’s found chemistry with Howden and William Karlsson. Karlsson’s return from an injury that cost him most of the regular season and all the first round has given Vegas a major boost.
“I knew a little bit about Will before coming here. Losing him was a pretty big hit for our team, but I've been playing with him now for obviously the full game tonight and a little bit of last game. Yeah, it's been really easy to play with him. He makes a lot of great plays. He seems like he's always in a great spot defensive-wise as well with his stick and his feet. I think he makes it easy on our D to break out pucks, really have the D just trust that they're going to go in a battle and Will is going to be there to help them out. So, it's been great playing with him the last four or five periods, whatever it's been. We're just trying to keep talking to one another about where we like to be and where we like to play hockey. Then with (Howden), I think really through the last month or two, we've really started to find our game with each other, really started to find where we like to be and where we like to be in the O zone,” said Marner. “I think Howie knows that I'm always looking for him around the net. Just try to tell him to find the slot or find a quiet area if I have space and time. Really just give me kind of your full body and skates, feet, body, whatever it takes to just around the backside and be ready for a puck kind of to come at you wherever it is. So, yeah, we're just trying to communicate as much as we can, trying to figure out where we like to be. And it's worked well so far.”
There’s also a major storyline being painted in the Golden Knights crease. Carter Hart has been tremendous since returning from injury in early April, allowing two goals or less in 10 of his 15 starts.
Since returning from injury on 4/2 (regular season + playoffs):
12-3-0
.918 Sv%
2.11 GAA
8.14 goals saved above expected
Hart has taken it to another level over the last four games and has been a key factor in Vegas closing out Utah and taking a series lead over the Ducks.
Since Game 6 vs. Utah
3-1-0
.949 Sv%
1.51 GAA
6.08 goals saved above expected
The attention, rewards and mistakes are magnified in the playoffs. Injuries or poor play push unknowns on to the stage and give them an opportunity to prove their worth.
Friday night, 28-year-old Dylan Coghlan got the chance to play in his first-ever Stanley Cup playoff game. After 290 regular season AHL games and 115 regular season NHL games, Coghlan got his chance.
Showing poise and confidence, Coghlan turned in 16 plus minutes of clean hockey.
The moment had a nice family slant to it as Coghlan’s mother, Melanie, was able to get to the rink just in time for puck drop.
“I saw my mom in the stands, and she was bawling and that gave me chills,” said Coghlan. “It’s hard to put into words and what it means to me. I’ve watched a lot of playoff hockey over the last several years and to finally get in one, it’s a pretty emotional feeling. I was pretty nervous coming in but once I saw her and her smile, it calmed me down and I was just having fun then.”
Here's the full interview with Coghlan from Friday night’s post-game show on the Golden Knights Radio Network:
