Golden Knights reaping benefits of ‘clutch’ Brett Howden

There have been 11 players in Vegas Golden Knights history who have scored a playoff overtime goal.

Only one has done it more than once.

Find any clutch-inspired moniker you can assign Brett Howden, and he’s been that.

The Knights winger scored the third overtime winner of his postseason career Wednesday in the 5-4 double OT thriller against the Utah Mammoth to give his team a 3-2 series lead.

It’s not just the winning goal that put Howden in rarefied air. His play the last two games is why the Knights are a win away from moving on to the second round, which the Knights can do Friday in Game 6 at Delta Center.

Howden has three goals the last two games — two of them short-handed, the other the tying goal with 10 minutes left in regulation of Game 4 that the Knights went on to win in overtime.

“Just trying to put puck to the net,” said an exhausted Howden after playing 20 minutes, 29 seconds Wednesday. “Sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t, but right now they’re going in.”

Howden has long been the Knights’ Swiss-army knife.

He can play anywhere in the lineup. Need a fourth liner? He can do that. Need someone to provide forechecking in a middle-six role? He’s your guy.

Need someone to move to the top line when things aren’t going right offensively? Howden has proven to be that, also.

Howden has single-handedly turned the tide in a special teams battle that was leaning in the Mammoth’s favor the first three games. He’s scored more short-handed (two) than Utah has power play goals (one).

The Knights’ penalty kill has gone 13-of-14 in the series.

“I think on the PK, we did a really good job (in Game 5) limiting their chances and pressuring them when we needed to,” Howden said.

It’s not the first time Howden has been clutch in the playoffs. It started during the Stanley Cup run in 2023.

He was given added responsibility in a top-six role, skating with captain Mark Stone and center Chandler Stephenson.

His speed and two-way play were the perfect complements on that line. He had five goals in the championship year. Each was important.

The two goals he scored in Game 4 at Winnipeg. The overtime winner in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final against Dallas. The two in the Game 2 rout of the Stanley Cup Final against Florida.

Then there was last year, scoring the winning goal in Game 5 of the first round against the Minnesota Wild – one year to the day from scoring his game-winner on Wednesday.

All three of Howden’s playoff overtime goals have given the Knights a lead in the respective series. He’s the only player in team history with multiple playoff OT winners.

“Clutch,” defenseman Brayden McNabb said. “He did it during our run. He’s done it throughout the time he’s been here. He has the skill, speed and size to be that player.”

The numbers might not be there, but Howden has showed scoring a career-high 23 goals last year is not an anomaly.

He was on a 17-goal pace this season before missing 24 games with a lower-body injury. That’s a 20-goal average over the last two years. The Knights will take that any day of the week.

It’s just another sign that anyone can show up come playoff time. Howden is that guy right now.

“I think it just speaks volumes to the group that we have,” Howden said. “I think it shows the maturity of our group, the leadership. We have a lot of guys with a lot of experience.

“I feel like there’s a calmness in our locker room and on the bench in those (high-pressure) situations.”

Up next

Who: Golden Knights at Mammoth

What: Game 6, first round (Knights lead 3-2)

When: 7 p.m. Friday

Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City

TV: KMCC-34, ESPN

Radio: KFLG 94.7 FM/KKGK 1340 AM

Line: Knights -120; total 5½