Normally, you'd prefer not to be in a 2-1 rut against a team like the Utah Mammoth. You'd want to be ahead in the series since you'd feel much more comfortable about your prospects. Unfortunately, that's the hand that the Vegas Golden Knights have been dealt so far.
They lost on Friday, 4-2, pinning their backs against the wall. Suddenly, there's some panic settling in the locker room, with fans also wondering if this will be it for the Golden Knights. For head coach John Tortorella, that doesn't appear to be a problem.
"As I said last night I liked a lot of our minutes but we need to score. We need some of our guys to come through in a big moment. Our offensive guys do have to finish. (Utah) did, we didn't."John Tortorella
Fans can point to a few things, such as the power play being nonexistent. When you go 2-for-9 in the series, you need something to shake things up. That's what Tortorella did at Sunday's practice, putting Ivan Barbashev and Shea Theodore on the top power play unit. Down went the struggling Tomas Hertl and Mitch Marner, formerly mainstays of the first power play unit.
But that's not the only thing that must happen differently for the Golden Knights. One particular thing in net must change for Vegas to change the tide in the series. In fact, it's not even a thing as much as it is a player.
The game hinges on whether Carter Hart can stop shots above his eyes
The Utah Mammoth made it a priority to shoot at Carter Hart's eye level during Game 3. That came from key players such as Lawson Crouse (two goals) and Dylan Guenther, leading to a Mammoth 4-2 victory... for Utah, that is.
Mind you, Utah only had 12 shots that entire game, being outshot, 32-12, in the process. Still, it appeared that the Golden Knights netminder was figured out by his opponent, leading to fears that he might be exposed. So, how in the world do you combat that?
Well, it's a team effort thing. For one, you must take away that space and ensure that Utah doesn't get solid looks. Throughout Game 3, that was the case for the Mammoth, who capitalized with blistering wristers and slap shots to punish Hart.
Of course, that's also contingent on Hart himself to make these stops. Yes, these might come from weird angles and odd deflections, which was the case in Game 3. But that doesn't absolve Hart from any blame. He must work out those issues and move better in the crease. That means identifying where the puck is at all times and making the appropriate movements.
If the Golden Knights can adjust their play and slow down the fast-moving Mammoth, life will be much easier in Game 4. Vegas did plenty of things right in Game 3, such as outshooting the Mammoth by 20 shots. But it'll take more than simply turning the luck in your favor. It'll take a team effort all around to change their fortunes.