ST. PAUL, Minn. — Playoff hockey is about many things, but never discount experience as one of the more valuable assets.
The Golden Knights have much of it and for that are even in their best-of-seven series against the Minnesota Wild.
There was no panic from the visitors Saturday, and it culminated in a 4-3 overtime win at Xcel Energy Center.
The series is tied 2-2 with Game 5 on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena.
Yep. It’s now a best-of-three, and the Knights earned back home-ice advantage.
It was seen long before left wing Ivan Barbashev’s goal won the game with 2:34 remaining in overtime, this truth that the Knights have far too much seasoning throughout their lineup to be shaken when things don’t go their way.
It was seen when Minnesota answered a Tomas Hertl score 54 seconds later with a goal to tie things 3-3 with 9:03 remaining in the third period.
Wild captain Jared Spurgeon beat goaltender Adin Hill on a wrap-around.
The place went nuts.
‘Play our game’
The Knights’ response: Stay the course. They were playing far too well to change much of anything. Bruce Cassidy might have jumbled his lines to get different looks, but the Knights coach knew how engaged his team was on all fronts.
“Our experience had to say, ‘One shift at a time,’” Cassidy said. “Just play our game. We did a good job of that. We didn’t give up a lot. Our guys have been there, done that. Just play the mental part. Don’t try to do it all yourself. That’s where experience comes through. We didn’t get ourselves in trouble.”
His meaning: Minnesota hadn’t lost all season when entering the third period with a lead and held a 2-1 advantage Saturday. But the Knights didn’t abandon their game because of it. They didn’t climb out of their structure and try to get everything back at once.
Do that, and a one-goal deficit can turn into three or four.
They simply never buckled on an afternoon when they had their best game of the series.
They had more o-zone time than at any other point in four games. More possession. Finding more ways to get pucks to the net. And in doing so, got some of the bounces Cassidy’s team had not received when falling down in the series.
Got a little puck luck for once.
“We have guys still here from when we won (the Stanley Cup),” defenseman Shea Theodore said. “At this time of year, experience is a big thing. We like where we’re at.
“The (mindset) was definitely serious. It was a pivotal game for our group to turn it around and get rewarded for how we felt we had been playing. We were on our toes the whole night. We didn’t really fall back or give up that much. We’re looking to continue that in Game 5.”
Theodore might be the best example of where experience comes through. Two games after he had one of his worst showings as a Golden Knight, he scored the team’s first goal Saturday and logged more than 30 minutes of ice time.
“Trying to get some confidence,” he said. “Sometimes in the playoffs it feels like nothing is going right. Happy to turn it around and get one on the board.”
No panic
One thing was certain afterward: The Wild weren’t shaken by the loss, having already won once in T-Mobile Arena in this series.
For the first time in a while, bounces didn’t go their way. They also had just two power plays compared with five for the Knights.
But you can’t say the Wild are lacking confidence.
“We’re in a good spot,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “I love where we’re at. We really like our game. We’re here, man. Just keep grinding. The longer the series goes for us … keep it going, keep it going, keep it going.”
It’s not an attitude that will shake the Knights. There was no panic down 2-1 in the series, no panic entering the third period and trailing Saturday. There won’t be any moving forward.
Playoffs. Experience.
Can’t beat it.
Ed Graney, a Sigma Delta Chi Award winner for sports column writing, can be reached at [email protected]. He can be heard on “The Press Box,” ESPN Radio 100.9 FM and 1100 AM, from 7 to 10 a.m. Monday through Friday. Follow @edgraney on X.
