Howden playoff goal surge with Golden Knights ‘fun to watch’ for Pisani

LAS VEGAS -- Fernando Pisani can relate to Brett Howden’s run in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Vegas Golden Knights.

Pisani, too, once caught lightning in a bottle, scoring 14 goals for the Edmonton Oilers in the 2006 postseason after having 18 in 80 regular-season games.

Howden has 13 heading into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, SN, TVAS, CBC). The forward scored 12 during the regular season in 58 games.

“I think every player feels that they have the ability to score goals, but it’s another thing trying to do it in the NHL, and that’s why I can really appreciate guys like Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and the top guys -- because they can consistently do it,” Pisani told NHL.com. “When you see different guys do it in the playoffs, and every year it’s always someone new and someone different, that’s what you need to have success.

“You can’t rely on the same guys all the time, so for me sitting back and watching, I appreciate that kind of stuff, and it’s just great to see someone like Howden step up and have success and contribute to his team’s success.”

Howden leads the NHL this postseason in goals, including three through the first three games of the Cup Final. He had an assist in a 5-4 double-overtime win in Game 3 here on Saturday that gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

“I think it’s opportunity for him,” Pisani said. “He got an opportunity to play with a guy like Mitch Marner and is making the most of it. You look at the passes and the plays that Marner makes, he draws guys to him, which opens things up for other guys.

“I think Howden is just capitalizing on those opportunities and Marner is finding him. It’s been fun to watch, that’s for sure.”

Howden has been playing left wing predominantly on a line with Marner and center William Karlsson in the playoffs. Marner had a hat trick in Game 3 and has seven points (three goals, four assists) in the Cup Final. Howden had an assist on Shea Theodore’s goal at 5:38 of the second overtime Saturday.

Pisani found his own chemistry with linemates Raffi Torres and Michael Peca 20 years ago in Edmonton’s run to the Cup Final, which ended with a 3-1 loss at Carolina in Game 7. He had 18 points (14 goals, four assists) in 24 playoff games after having 37 points (18 goals, 19 assists) during the regular season for the Oilers, who were the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.

Edmonton went on to upset the Detroit Red Wings, San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks before falling one victory short of winning the Cup.

“I think for us, Raffi was playing unreal and Peca stepped his game up, and collectively the three of us just took our game to another level,” Pisani said. “I was in good spots where they would get me the puck and it was like anything, once you get on a little bit of a roll, you’re shooting things and you’re hitting your mark and they’re going in. Then once you catch fire, you just want to make sure you’re dialed in and focused and wanting to do it continuously.”

Much like Howden with the Golden Knights, the timing of Pisani’s goals in 2006 played a big role in the Oilers’ run.

Howden has three short-handed goals and three game-winners in the playoffs; Pisani had five game-winning goals, including one short-handed in overtime of Game 5 for a 4-3 win against the Hurricanes to extend the series. It was the first short-handed overtime goal in Cup Final history.

“That one I’ll never forget for sure,” Pisani said. “I had no idea until days after that it was the first short-handed, game-winning overtime goal in Stanley Cup history, so that was pretty cool.

“I didn’t see it until after when you watch the replay, but just the whole bench’s reaction, that was, to me, was one of the coolest things to watch, just to see everybody going crazy and jumping up and down. As you watch it and see it now, it was really cool for sure.”

Howden’s had his own overtime heroics, scoring the winner in a 5-4 victory against the Utah Mammoth in Game 5 of the first round. Vegas went on to win in six.

Following Pisani’s overtime goal in the 2006 Cup Final, Edmonton won 4-0 in Game 6 at home to push the series to the limit. Carolina, which was back home for Game 7, scored an early goal in the first period and another in the second before Pisani scored early in the third for a frantic finish. Justin Williams scored an empty-net goal with 1:01 left for a 3-1 victory, and the Hurricanes claimed their first Stanley Cup championship.

“I will always remember that building and how loud it was,” Pisani said. “It was extremely loud and that’s not typical when you think of Carolina, but that stands out for me, just how loud that building was.”

Pisani went on to play four more seasons with the Oilers before concluding his NHL career with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010-11.

An Edmonton native, Pisani is now a hockey dad, enjoying watching his two sons play. His youngest Jaxon, 17, a defenseman, won the Western Hockey League championship this season with Everett. It lost 6-2 to Kitchener of the Ontario Hockey League in the Memorial Cup Final on May 31.

Pisani said he was more nervous watching Jaxon in a winner-take-all game than he was for Game 7 of the Cup Final two decades ago.

“It’s harder watching just because you’re always on edge,” Pisani said. “You want them to succeed and have success, so it’s always hard to sit and watch. Playing was easier because you can control what you could do out there to a certain degree. When you’re a dad watching, then you’re playing the game through his eyes and are just hoping he has success, and that’s all you want for him.”