LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — Ahead of the Vegas Golden Knights' Game 6 matchup against the Dallas Stars, I sat down with former VGK defenseman Deryk Engelland.
The Golden Knights are facing elimination after losing three straight to the Stars and being down 3-2 in the series.
Engelland says this has been a tight series all around because of the quality from both teams.
"Both teams are so similar," Engelland said.
"You can say it for either team...they're so good at shutting down the opponents, especially when they get the lead. In the third period, you've seen in the last two games that Dallas has really clogged up in front of the net to not give them a whole lot of opportunities...and then they're evenly matched in star power."
This is the first time the Golden Knights have faced elimination in the playoffs since the 2021 Stanley Cup semifinals, where they eventually lost to the Montreal Canadians.
The Golden Knights will look to further extend their season at home, where they went 27-12-2 in the regular season.
Engelland says the team has yet to play their best game yet, so if they can get back to their strengths, the Knights have a shot.
"Definitely the first thing is stay disciplined," Engelland said.
"The unnecessary penalties came back to bite them again the last game. Emotions are high in the playoffs no matter what. I'm sure you're going to see a lot more disciplined team. If they can keep that going and then just continue trying to make it harder on (Jake) Oettinger. He's feeling it now. You got to throw pucks out there, get to the net and create some havoc In front of them."
Game 6 is set for Friday at 7 p.m. inside The Fortress. If the series goes to a Game 7, that is scheduled for Sunday at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
