LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — It's time for another duel in Dallas as the Vegas Golden Knights look to extend their series lead over the Stars in the Western Conference Final. The teams face off in Game 3 Tuesday night. Right now, VGK is up two games to none in this best-of-seven series.
The Golden Knights have been solid on the road this season. Players said it comes down to chemistry on and off the ice.
"I noticed right when I got here how close everyone was and how comfortable everyone is with each other and I think that translates on the ice. It's kind of like a brotherhood. You want to make that play. You're willing to sacrifice yourself for the betterment of the next guy," said VGK centre Teddy Blueger. "The worst thing you can do is let your teammates down. Everyone has that 'we' mentality and checks their ego at the door and I think that leads to team success."
"We don't let new fans or stadiums bother us," said VGK right wing Reilly Smitgh. "We stick to our structure. We enjoy spending time on the road and spending extra time with our teammates."
Head coach Bruce Cassidy said the team also sticks to their routines, which has led to pulling out late victories in crucial games.
"Going into Game 2, I believe we won the hockey game because we stayed within our structure. We're able to stay in the games that we're not at our best and not finding opportunities to score and create offense," Cassidy said. "The games have been tight so we want to keep checking well. I think Game 2 we weren't generating much offensively but we didn't give up a lot defensively which allowed us to stay in the game. We've been good, for the most part, staying out of the box, which keeps the power play in check. That's the formula for us and has been for a lot of these playoffs. We've seemed to find ways to score goals from different people but if we can keep the puck out of net and limit the other team's chances, that increases our odds."
As the teams get ready to battle it out in Game 3, VGK players said they're ready to push hard to go up three games to none.
"You never know. They may throw a curveball at us tonight," said VGK right wing Keegan Kolesar. "For us, it's watching the video we have from the last two games, learning from our mistakes, building on our successes, and we'll see what happens."
The puck drops at 5 p.m.