Vegas Golden Knights fans were sitting comfortably after their team had a 3-0 lead in Game 4. Everything was coming up roses and fans were already anticipating a tied series heading to T-Mobile Arena on Wednesday. They desperately needed this after the Game 3 dud that happened on Friday. But a funny thing happened in the second period. Nick Schmaltz scored to put Utah on the board.
Okay, no concern. Vegas still has a comfortable lead. But another goal came afterwards, courtesy of Ian Cole.
Then comes the third period. Michael Carcone, a player who missed a wide-open net in the first period, redeemed himself to tie the game. After that? Clayton Keller got the Mammoth the lead with a third-period goal. It took Brett Howden's magic and an Original Misfit to get the Golden Knights a much-needed Game 4 win.
That nearly gave an entire city a heart attack. Imagine blowing a 3-0 lead and giving all your trolls and haters extra fuel. All the pointed discourse at players like Mitch Marner, Carter Hart, and Tomas Hertl would've made someone's head explode.
You probably know what must be done by the Golden Knights before Wednesday's game. That must happen if Vegas wants to take complete control of the series and have any hope of burying their opponents.
The Vegas Golden Knights must keep their composure after allowing a goal against the Utah Mammoth
Watching a 3-0 lead disappear is brutal. It's like getting ghosted or getting the pink slip at your job. It's never a fun ordeal and it ruins your day. The Golden Knights must avoid that feeling at all costs on Wednesday against the Mammoth and maintain their composure.
First, that means being careful with letting Utah gain any offensive zone time. The Mammoth scored two goals 29 seconds apart in the second period to shrink the lead to one. Then came the third period, where the Mammoth took the lead 5:10 into the period.
Stuff like this came with bad penalties such as hooking and a defective power play. Those are the mistakes that can cost you a series, especially against a high-octane team like the Mammoth.
How can the Vegas Golden Knights combat this in Game 5?
Well, getting off to a fast start is a brilliant way to do this. The Golden Knights started off on the right foot by jumping out to that 3-0 lead. That included a Pavel Dorofeyev goal 1:12 into the game, sparking a Golden Knights' blitz against Utah.
That has been the case throughout the season for Vegas. They've been flustered at certain points, whether they were down by three goals or let in three straight goals. That won't work in the Stanley Cup playoffs, especially when you've worked extremely hard to correct those habits.
But it's also not getting complacent. Vegas played conservatively after Cole Smith's goal, resorting to dump-ins and relaxing their forecheck. That can't happen against a speedy team like the Mammoth, especially if the penalties start rolling in. If that's the case? Well, you won't like the result.
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