MORNING SKATE NOTES
- Head coach André Tourigny said there are several game time decisions tonight.
- Utah needs to win in Game 6 to extend this First Round series.
Game Time Decisions
Following morning skate, Tourigny discussed the status of his team heading into Game 6.
“There will be some game time decisions,” Tourigny explained. “(Barrett Hayton) played last game. There’s a level of pain, so he will be a game time decision. Jack McBain is close. Don’t know if he’s ready exactly to play, but he will be a game time decision. And we’ll have others as well.”
Embracing the Opportunity
Friday night’s game is a significant one as Vegas has a 3-2 series lead and a Golden Knights win tonight would end the First Round. However, the Mammoth have an opportunity to send the series back to Vegas for a winner-takes-all Game 7 with a victory tonight. Utah is excited for the opportunity but will focus on staying level-headed through this game.
“Guys were talking about it yesterday when we had our meeting,” Tourigny recounted. “They mentioned how excited it was to play that game in front of our fans and how we know we'll have the energy of our crowd. So, I think it’s a big factor for us. We know we play good hockey, especially in the last two games, especially from the second period of Game 4 (on). I think we played rock solid hockey. We still know we have things we can get better at, but there’s a lot to be confident about.”
This team has focused on staying in the moment throughout the regular season and not looking too far ahead. By doing so, the Mammoth have found success addressing the task at hand before moving forward.
“I think that’s something we put a lot of emphasis on in the latter half of this year,” Hayton explained. “Taking a lot of pride in that, I think that’s kind of a staple of our group. That’s when we’re playing our best hockey. So, obviously we know how big this game is tonight but at the same time, we need to stay poised and be ready to rock.”
One way the team will stay calm and collected is focusing solely on the task at hand, winning Game 6.
"I think focusing on the micro as opposed to the macro is good for us for sure,” veteran defenseman Ian Cole explained. “It is just another day, but it's also not, right? It's an elimination. 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 overglorifying it is key.”
The Delta Center Energy
All season long and even throughout the playoffs, the home crowd at the Delta Center has been second-to-none. As the Mammoth look at this opportunity to tie the series, the team is excited to play in front of its home crowd.
"We're super proud to be playing in front of this fanbase, the energy in there is going to be electric,” Hayton said. “We're super excited for that. We're going to be dialed in from the get go."
