The Vegas Golden Knights control their own destiny heading into Wednesday’s regular-season finale against the Seattle Kraken at T-Mobile Arena. A single point in any fashion would secure the Pacific Division title and home-ice advantage through the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Vegas enters the game at 6-0-1 under coach John Tortorella, with the only blemish coming last Thursday in Seattle — a 4-3 shootout loss after blowing a two-goal lead in the third period. The Kraken have won all three meetings this season.
“There’s no disrespect to any opposition in the league,” Tortorella said. “We spend our time on us, how we’re going to execute.”
The Knights are coming off a dominant 6-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday, a performance that erased any concerns about a letdown after a four-game, 10-day road trip. They jumped to a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes and never looked back.
“I was really happy with how our team skated last night,” Tortorella said. “That’s what I like about our team. They get to work. They come to work and they give what they have. That’s what we expect tomorrow.”
A regulation loss would open the door for the Edmonton Oilers, who can win the division with a victory over the Vancouver Canucks. The Knights also clinch if the Oilers lose in any fashion.
“Just go out there and do our thing,” Mitch Marner said. “Make sure we’re focusing on ourselves, how we can be the best team we can be.”
If Vegas wins the division, it will face the Western Conference’s first wild-card team. The Utah Mammoth held that spot entering Tuesday, one point ahead of the Los Angeles Kings. The Kings cannot win the division but could finish as high as second.
“We got everything to play for,” defenseman Rasmus Andersson said. “You definitely want to win the division and go from there.”
Up next
Who: Kraken at Golden Knights
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: T-Mobile Arena
TV: KMCC-34
Radio: KFLG 94.7 FM/KKGK 1340 AM
