LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The Vegas Golden Knights are back in town and getting ready to face the Florida Panthers in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. The Knights are currently ahead 3-1 in the best-of-seven series.
Vegas could win it all if they're able to close out the series tomorrow night. However, both players and coaches said they're working on keeping their emotions in check and focus on playing their game.
"I think it's only human nature for your mind to wander a bit but you've got to fight that," said Alec Martinez. "It's finding a balance of approaching it like any other game, not trying to overreact or underreact, just staying even-keeled and focused on the end goal. Florida is a really tough opponent. You could really see that, especially in their building. You just need to be ready for that and take the same approach. The fourth one is the hardest to get."
"It shouldn't change. I feel like our fanbase here has been excited since our first year and cheering us on in practices and pregame skates all the time. It keeps the emotion level high," said Reilly Smith. "It's a pretty focused group and we know what's at stake. We have work to do and we're focusing on that. After we lost in the finals the first year, Bill [Foley] said okay, Stanley Cup in three. i don't know if that got published but I feel like we've had the team to push for the Stanley Cup every year. Obviously, we're in a better spot now but there's a lot of work to be done. We're not looking too far ahead. We know the formula to win games and we need to stick to that."
Smith adds the team wants to bring one home and it's been a joy watching the sport grow in the valley.
"The first month or two, my parents would come to games and said a lot of people were cheering just for the sake of cheering," Smith said. "I think the hockey knowledge has grown and more people are learning and enjoying the sport here. You see so many people dedicated coming to practice and our games. It's pretty great."
This is head coach Bruce Cassidy's first year leading the Golden Knights and he said he saw how much the team meant to the city as soon as he got here.
"When I first got here, I saw all the Vegas Golden Knights license plates. Normally, you see one or two and drive around for awhile before you see another one. I was shocked by how many I saw here. They're everywhere," Cassidy said. "They've gotten behind their team quickly. Some of that has to do with the first-year success they had but they love the sport. The fanbase is behind the team 100% and they're very positive. They haven't been jaded from negative experiences. They want good things to happen for their team and Vegas Born means a lot to this group."
With the game just over 24 hours away, Cassidy said he's ready to get going.
"I want to see where we're at. As a coach, you spend a lot of time preparing. Sometimes, you could do nothing and the guys play great or you could prepare every detail and they don't play great," Cassidy said. "I'm going by recent history and I think we've played well every game. If our game wasn't in a good place, I'd probably have knots in my stomach wondering what's going to happen. The unexpected will always bother you but I feel like we're going to go out and play well tomorrow. Will it be good enough? I don't know. We'll find out tomorrow. I don't know what Florida is going to bring but I think we'll be on our game."
Game 5 will be at T-Mobile Arena Tuesday night. The puck is scheduled to drop at 5 p.m.