If the Vegas Golden Knights lose on Sunday, I want to let the Golden Knights fans know something. I love you all and I know that things are looking up for our franchise. It's been a roller-coaster ride and we're fortunate enough to make the Stanley Cup Final when not many people expected us to make it.
We shouldn't be too down on ourselves, considering we've been through a literal storm. We're talking about head coaches being relieved of their duties and goaltenders being pulled for alternatives. Hey, who would've thought that this could be us? Not me.
Still, hats off to the Carolina Hurricanes, who've played gritty, "never give up like John Cena" hockey throughout the Stanley Cup Final. Jordan Staal has emerged as a Conn Smythe favorite and Rod Brind'Amour has made some gutsy moves. In turn, Carolina is one win away from its second Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have some soul-searching to do. They want to pull off the impossible and win the Stanley Cup after being down 3-2. Can they do it without William Karlsson? We'll see. But here's what went down at City National Arena on a hot Saturday in June.
Why isn't Reilly Smith getting more love in the lineup?
Reilly Smith has been one of the most prolific Vegas Golden Knights in franchise history. He's scored 21 goals and 51 assists during his postseason career with the Golden Knights, making him one of the most recognizable figures around. However, there's a major problem lingering with the Original Misfit.
He's only played six games during the 2026 Stanley Cup playoff stretch, notching two assists. Why not go with him with William Karlsson out? The Misfit provides ample special teams assistance and can kill off penalties with the league's best. Vegas needs to go all-out in keeping its Stanley Cup hopes alive and that starts with the Misfit playing.
Is sticking with Carter Hart the right choice?
John Tortorella told the NHL media on Saturday that he's sticking with Carter Hart ahead of a do-or-die Game 6. Mind you, the former Flyers netminder has allowed four goals in five Stanley Cup Final games, being the first goaltender in NHL history to do so. That's... not a good thing if you're the Golden Knights.
It's no wonder that Golden Knights fans will question Tortorella's judgment on who should start in net. Hart hasn't found his groove (partially because the blue line has been bad) and Hill has done well in such spots before. Will it matter? It's a wait-and-see type of deal.
No Mitch Marner or Noah Hanifin on the ice during Saturday's practice
The Golden Knights faithful noticed that neither Mitch Marner, nor Noah Hanifin, were on the ice for Saturday's practice. Granted, both played in Game 5 and weren't too banged up for the Vegas Golden Knights. But it raised some eye brows for the fans.
For example, was the Maple Leafs media going to hound Marner for being hurt? Would they chide him for not showing up in Game 5 when he was dealing with an injury? Those would be some of the musings brought on by the crazies north of the border. Luckily, that didn't happen on Saturday.
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