Golden Knights relying on 'experience of the group' heading into Game 5 of West 2nd Round

LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights are well aware of the pressures and emotions that develop as a Stanley Cup Playoff series deepens.

"They've been through so much as a team," Vegas coach John Tortorella said on Monday. "They've gone through all the processes, all the things you go through in playoff series. So, they're experienced."

To Tortorella's point, since their inaugural season in 2017-18, no NHL team has played in (116) or won (68) more playoff games than the Golden Knights. Add to that history their current roster, which features 12 Stanley Cup champions and seven players with at least 100 games of playoff experience, and Vegas is understandably calm heading into Game 5 of the Western Conference Second Round against the Anaheim Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday (9:30 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN360, SN, TVAS).

“The maturity, the experience of the group, the leadership we have, it's an incredible locker room,” said forward Brett Howden, who is tied for first in the NHL with seven goals this postseason. "Everybody leans on each other, especially when you go through adversity, whether it's throughout a series, a game, or at any time. We have such a calm feel for that in our locker room. We're feeling good about our game, and we still feel like we have another step, too.”

The Golden Knights will look to reach that step following a 4-3 loss to the Ducks in Game 4 on Sunday that evened the best-of-7 series at 2-2. And although they were able to preserve home-ice advantage by getting a 6-2 win in Game 3 on Friday, Howden said the team isn't content with the split in Anaheim.

“We played really well our first game. We did a lot of good things last night, too. I think going in you're not looking to split,” Howden said. “You're going into each game knowing you're trying to win it. So yeah, we weren't just satisfied with getting the one win after the first game.”

The Golden Knights weren't satisfied in the first round either, when they also returned home all even in the best-of-7 series after splitting Games 3 and 4 on the road against the Utah Mammoth. In that series, Vegas was able to edge Utah 5-4 in double overtime in Game 5 before closing out the series two days later with a 5-1 win in Game 6 in Salt Lake City.

“No" Tortorella said when asked if the mindset changes when a series becomes a best-of-3. "I just think each game takes on a life of its own and the intensity certainly grows. All the things you talk about being magnified early in the season are more magnified as you get closer, when you play in those last two and three games. It's what's great about playoff hockey. It's seeing how guys handle themselves when more and more pressure comes their way.

“Our game's growing, but it's going to have to grow some more. So, it's not complicated. It's big plays, big-time guys stepping up at certain times. And the stakes are high now, when you start getting into the short strokes of a series."

One big-time player the Golden Knights did not have in their Game 4 loss was captain Mark Stone, who was out with an undisclosed injury he sustained in Game 3. He was replaced in the lineup by veteran forward Brandon Saad, who was minus-1 in 7:20 of ice time.

Stone, whose status for Game 5 remains uncertain, is the Golden Knights' all-time leader with 79 points (39 goals, 40 assists) in 94 playoff games.

“Obviously, that's a big piece, but it's kind of that next-man-up mentality,” Howden said. “Having Stone in the lineup is a huge asset to us.”

Another asset, though, is forward William Karlsson, who returned for Game 1 against the Ducks after missing most of the regular season with a lower-body injury. He has two assists and a plus-3 rating in the four games and has looked steadily better as the series has progressed.

"We missed him all year,” Howden said. “I couldn't believe the first game, how good he looked just from missing that amount of time to not looking like he missed a beat. It's remarkable.”