Ladies and gentlemen, it's time to breathe in. Now breathe out. The Vegas Golden Knights took care of business against a pesky Utah Mammoth team on Friday, 5-1. They won their first round series in six games, vanquishing a young, upstart squad that skated up and down the ice with minimal effort.
It took plenty of contributions from big names to get the job done. Obviously, you know the names, which range from Jack Eichel to Mark Stone. Those two players combined for 14 points (three goals and 13 assists) and were instrumental in the team's victory.
However, those aren't the only players who got the job done. You see, it wouldn't be too fun to just name those guys in an article. It would be sheer laziness since those are, well, the top guys. This time, we must dig deeper and see who else stepped up to the plate.
With this comes four names for the Golden Knights. These four players saved Vegas from being eliminated by the Utah Mammoth in five or six games. In fact, they came through when called upon and moved the Golden Knights forward to play the Anaheim Ducks.
1.) Mitch Marner
Remember all of those whispers from Mitch Marner's haters about how he was a playoff failure? People wouldn't let go of the idea that he consistently failed in the big spots, turning it into a meme. Well, Marner dispelled that and turned it into a myth.
In Game 6, the former "Core Four" member scored two goals and an assist. Those points led the Golden Knights to an impressive 5-1 victory over the Utah Mammoth, moving them into a second-round matchup. All it took was a little environmental shift for the Canadian Olympian to finally shake his demons.
2.) Pavel Dorofeyev
When you need clutch scoring and you're in a pivotal Game 5, who are you going to call upon? Will you turn to the man that led your team in goals? Why, you better because you won't win a Stanley Cup without him.
Luckily, Dorofeyev answered the call with goals in Games 4 and 5. He had four goals during that span, including the game-tying goal in Game 5. If it wasn't for the Russian winger, the Golden Knights would've been eliminated by the Mammoth.
You know what that means. Pay the man. It'll be worth it.
3.) Brett Howden
There wasn't a Vegas Golden Knight who was more clutch in the first round than Brett Howden. The former first round pick scored the game-winning goal in Game 5 and even had two (!) short-handed goals in the series. Mind you, he has the most playoff overtime goals in franchise history with three.
Overall, Howden had four goals in the series, making him a top option for the Golden Knights. Imagine what he could do if he carries that momentum over to the second round series against Anaheim. That would put the entire NHL world on notice, making him a not-so-well-kept secret.
4.) Ivan Barbashev
The first round series for Ivan Barbashev was one of his most productive in his career. He scored two goals and four assists, adding 37 (!) hits in the process. That hard-hitting attitude was the proverbial sparkplug for the Golden Knights, helping them wear down a tired Mammoth team.
That type of play will be vital for the Anaheim series, where the Ducks will be even more physical. Anaheim is bigger than Utah and will dish out more pain, making this tougher to handle. Therefore, expect Barbashev to be that sparkplug again.
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