3 Things to Watch: Golden Knights at Mammoth, Game 6 of Western 1st Round

(1P) Golden Knights at (1WC) Mammoth

Western Conference First Round, Game 6

Vegas leads best-of-7 series 3-2

10 p.m. ET; Utah16, SCRIPPS, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360, SN

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Vegas Golden Knights know it will be a challenge to eliminate the Utah Mammoth in Game 6 of the Western Conference First Round at Delta Center on Friday.

Vegas has won two straight games to take a 3-2 series lead. But the Golden Knights needed 19:08 of overtime to win 5-4 in Game 4 and 25:28 of OT to win 5-4 in Game 5. 

“You have to play with that same type of mindset,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said. “You’ve got to play with that desperation to close out an opponent, because you know that they’re playing with it. We don’t have to change a ton. We’d like to be a little bit cleaner defensively, but we’re scoring some goals, making some good plays.”

Vegas is 12-11 in potential clinching games since entering the NHL as an expansion team in 2017-18, including 6-7 on the road. Stone has 10 goals in 24 potential clinchers in his NHL career.

In its second season in the League, Utah is in its first Stanley Cup Playoff series and facing elimination for the first time. But the Mammoth have several veterans, including five who have scored while facing elimination: forwards Clayton Keller and Kevin Stenlund and defensemen Sean Durzi, Nate Schmidt and MacKenzie Weegar.

“It’s an elimination game,” said defenseman Ian Cole, who has played 134 playoff games, most among the Mammoth. “We need to bring our best. We know they’re going to bring their best. They want to close this out. So just being aware of the situation, but also not maybe over glorifying it, is key.”

Game 7 would be at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday.

The winner of this series will face the Anaheim Ducks in the second round.

Here are three things to watch in Game 6:

1. Not so special teams

Utah is 1-for-13 on the power play in the series. It has gone 0-for-7 over the past two games while giving up two short-handed goals to forward Brett Howden, including the winner in double overtime of Game 5 after forward Alex Kerfoot lost a puck battle.

“The chance they had, we had the puck,” Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said. “If you pass the puck to them, that helps a lot, so that’s one thing. But I think we had great opportunity just before that goal. We had a really good look. I think we need to be a little bit cleaner on our entries.”

Vegas is 3-for-18 on the power play in the series. The Golden Knights have been shuffling their units, looking for something to click. When forward Pavel Dorofeyev scored with 40.2 seconds left in the first period of Game 5, it was their first power-play goal in 14 tries.

“We were an elite power play all season,” Stone said. “But it’s a seven-game series, so they’re obviously doing study, and they’re taking away the primary option, so you have to figure out a way to get around it.”

2. Goaltending edge

Neither goalie has great numbers. Carter Hart is 3-2 with a 3.02 goals-against average and an .888 save percentage for Vegas. Karel Vejmelka is 2-3 with a 2.98 GAA and an .892 save percentage for Utah.

But each has made big saves at key times.

In Game 5, for example, Hart stopped center Nick Schmaltz on a breakaway with 1:04 left in the second period, then sprawled to rob forward Brandon Tanev with 52 seconds left in the period. 

“Carter made three or four huge saves at key times,” Vegas coach John Tortorella said. “That’s what playoffs are. Numbers and all that stuff, I don’t even look at. I look at momentum swings in the game. … He’s been outstanding.”

Vejmelka stoned Stone on a partial breakaway at 11:13 of the third period of Game 5.

“He gives our group a lot of confidence when you know that he can go out there and make big saves,” forward Lawson Crouse said, “and (he) really gives us a chance to win each and every night.”

3. Golden Knights comebacks

Utah has had a third-period lead in each game. Vegas has come back to win three times, including in each of the past two games. In Game 5, Dorofeyev tied it 4-4 with the goalie pulled with 52.7 seconds left in the third period.

The Golden Knights are comfortable playing from behind. In the regular season, they spent more time trailing (1,965:10) than any other team but the Vancouver Canucks (2,200:10), who finished last in the NHL standings. They had 10 third-period comeback wins, tied with the Montreal Canadiens for second in the NHL behind the Ducks (12).

“Honestly, we’ve been really good in third periods this year, so there’s never a point in our locker room where we don’t think we’re going to win,” Vegas forward Reilly Smith said. “I think your chances go down when you’re chasing games, of course. But there’s no doubt in this locker room at any intermission that we’re going to win the game.”

Golden Knights projected lineup

Ivan Barbashev -- Jack Eichel -- Pavel Dorofeyev

Brett Howden -- Mitch Marner -- Mark Stone

Reilly Smith -- Tomas Hertl -- Keegan Kolesar

Cole Smith -- Nic Dowd -- Colton Sissons

Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore

Noah Hanifin -- Rasmus Andersson

Jeremy Lauzon -- Kaedan Korczak

Carter Hart

Adin Hill

Scratched: Ben Hutton, Brandon Saad, Akira Schmid

Injured: William Karlsson (lower body), Jonas Rondbjerg (lower body)

Mammoth projected lineup

Clayton Keller -- Nick Schmaltz -- Lawson Crouse

Kailer Yamamoto -- Logan Cooley -- Dylan Guenther

Alexander Kerfoot -- Barrett Hayton -- Michael Carcone

JJ Peterka -- Kevin Stenlund -- Brandon Tanev

Mikhail Sergachev -- MacKenzie Weegar

Nate Schmidt -- John Marino

Ian Cole -- Sean Durzi

Karel Vejmelka

Vitek Vanecek

Scratched: Liam O’Brien, Daniil But, Kevin Rooney, Nick DeSimone, Dmitri Simashev, Matt Villalta

Injured: Jack McBain (lower body)

Status report

Karlsson participated in the morning skate but is not expected to play; the center, who has not played since Nov. 8, stayed out for extra work with the scratches. Asked how close he is to playing, Golden Knights coach Tortorella said: “We’re not even into that ...  We just wanted him to travel with the team.” ... Hayton and McBain, a forward, each will be a game-time decision, Mammoth coach Andre Tourigny said forwards Hayton (upper body) and McBain each will be a game-time decision, and there could be others as well. ... Defensemen Sergachev and Durzi, along with McBain, did not skate Friday.

NHL.com independent correspondent Matt Komma contributed to this report