3 Keys: Golden Knights at Jets, Game 3 of Western 1st Round

(1P) Golden Knights at (2WC) Jets
Western Conference First Round, Game 3
Best-of-7 series tied 1-1
4 p.m. ET; TBS, CBC, SN, TVAS, ATTSN-RM

WINNIPEG --The Winnipeg Jets like their position heading into Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round.
Sure, they would like to take the ice holding a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series, but they are happy to get a split in Las Vegas, winning 5-1 in Game 1 on Tuesday before losing 5-2 in Game 2 on Thursday against the top seed in the West.
"In a perfect, ideal world, we'd come home with two wins," Winnipeg forward Pierre-Luc Dubois said. "But to come here and start the series off with a win, a game that we made some mistakes but we didn't play bad. Now we're going to go home in front of our fans. It's a good feeling."
The Jets were 26-13-2 at home during the regular season and feed off the energy of a passionate fan base. But Vegas knows how to play on the road, its defense-first system conducive to taking the crowd out of a game.
RELATED: [Complete Golden Knights vs Jets series coverage]
Vegas was 26-7-8 away from home, tied for the fifth-best road points percentage in the NHL. Their seven road losses in regulation are the fewest by any team.
Here are 3 keys for Game 3:

1. Establish the forecheck

The team that has been better in dictating which offensive zone the game will be played has won.
The Golden Knights struggled in Game 1 and could only generate one goal. In Game 2, they were far more effective, getting on the right side of the puck, establish a cycle, pinning the Jets in their own end and limiting their opportunities to break out of the defensive zone with speed.
The result was most telling in the third period, when the Golden Knights scored three goals. In Game 1, they managed two shots on goal in the third.
"We lost body position too much on our forecheck," Jets coach Rick Bowness said. "We were on the wrong side, which allowed them to play a lot faster than they did the game before. Puck battles behind nets, we lost, so those are the things. And we didn't drive the net like we did in the first game. There were times that we did. There were too many times that we could have and we didn't. Those three areas have to be improved."

2. Be special

The Golden Knights have yet to score in seven power-play attempts this series but have allowed a power-play goal in each of the first two games.
While they did not score in four attempts in Game 2, their power play was dangerous and provided momentum, something it did not do in Game 1.
Despite allowing a man-advantage goal to Adam Lowry midway through the first period in Game 2, the Golden Knights penalty kill provided one of the turning points of the game, killing 1:45 of a 4-on-3 power play in the waning minutes of the first period.
"It was a great kill, a great job," Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said. "I thought we did a good job tonight. I mean, hopefully score one last game at the end, but I thought we're doing a really good job of really, you know, taking the opportunity to use to our advantage. So that's it. There's a big momentum shift for us, for sure."

3. Depth charged

Forward Nikolaj Ehlers will remain sidelined for the Jets, who had hoped he could return tand bolster the depth of the top nine.
Ehlers, who had 38 points (12 goals, 26 assists) in 45 games during the regular season, has yet to play in this series after sustaining an upper-body injury April 11.
Bowness had said Friday there was a chance Ehlers could play in Game 3.
"Really, until we get a clearance from the medical staff, he's not playing," Bowness said.

Golden Knights projected lineup

Ivan Barbashev -- Jack Eichel -- Jonathan Marchessault

Reilly Smith -- William Karlsson -- Phil Kessel
Michael Amadio -- Chandler Stephenson -- Mark Stone
Brett Howden -- Nicolas Roy -- Keegan Kolesar
Alec Martinez -- Alex Pietrangelo
Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore
Nicolas Hague -- Zach Whitecloud
Laurent Brossoit
Jonathan Quick
Scratched: Paul Cotter, Kaedan Korczak, Brayden Pachal, Teddy Blueger, Pavel Dorofeyev, Ben Hutton, Adin Hill
Injured: William Carrier (lower body), Logan Thompson (undisclosed)

Jets projected lineup

Kyle Connor -- Pierre-Luc Dubois -- Mark Scheifele
Nino Niederreiter -- Vladislav Namestnikov -- Blake Wheeler
Morgan Barron -- Adam Lowry -- Mason Appleton
David Gustafsson -- Kevin Stenlund -- Saku Maenalanen
Josh Morrissey -- Dylan DeMelo
Brenden Dillon -- Neal Pionk
Dylan Samberg -- Nate Schmidt
Connor Hellebuyck
David Rittich
Scratched: Logan Stanley, Kyle Capobianco, Dominic Toninato, Axel Jonsson-Fjallby, Karson Kuhlman
Injured: Cole Perfetti (upper body), Nikolaj Ehlers (upper body)

Status report

Neither team practiced Friday. … Carrier, a forward, did not travel to Winnipeg, but Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy has not ruled him out for the series.