Graney: Avalanche better hope to avoid a Game 6 against Golden Knights

The scores and results were identical. Each were 5-1 victories and as commanding as that suggests. Each were close-out games. Each advanced the Vegas Golden Knights to the next round of these Stanley Cup playoffs.

Each came in Game 6 of a best-of-seven series.

The Knights for the most part over time have had this way about them as a series progresses. They tend to get better. Not always. There have been hiccups along the way.

But they have won six straight Games 6s, including ones against Utah and Anaheim in this current postseason. Wins that have now placed them opposite Colorado in the Western Conference final, which begins on Wednesday in Denver.

More than anything, the Knights stay within themselves. John Tortorella is a coach who believes his team is flatlined, never too excited when things are going really well and never losing itself in times of struggle.

“Both the (Utah and Anaheim) series, we’ve had some ups and downs, some peaks and valleys,” Tortorella said. “I think that’s one of the biggest strengths of our team — handling that. It’s why you improve in a seven-game series. You just stay away from it.”

Chance to breathe

Experience helps. A veteran room. Emotion is a big part of sports — even bigger when you get this far in a playoff tournament — but handling it the correct way often means the difference between playing on or going home.

Take, for instance, Game 6 at Anaheim.

The Knights never gave the Ducks a chance to breathe. It was 3-0 after one period. It might not have been totally over, but you could already see the finish line.

“I really liked the way we came out in the sense we weren’t waiting for something to happen,” forward Brett Howden said. “We came out and initiated play. We were ready to go these last few Game 6s.

“I think us having that mentality, that mindset to get the job done, goes to show the type of guys and leadership we have in this locker room. Just being ready to play.”

There isn’t a better example of a player who has stepped up when advancing was on the line than goalie Carter Hart. He struggled some early in both series, but was nails when it counted most.

In his past seven games, Hart has a save percentage of .918 and a goals-against average of 2.37.

Nothing better than a guy who is flatlined in net.

“To me, with him, it’s his mental growth,” Tortorella said. “His play speaks for itself. I think his preparation and how he has handled a couple situations he has gone through in both series, bouncing right back — to me that’s (mental). I’ve been fortunate to have him for a few years. I think he really cares.

“That’s the bottom line with Carter. He cares how he plays and knows how important that position is for our team and I think he has gotten stronger mentally.”

Knights forward Mitch Marner talked about it after Game 6 in Anaheim. How under Tortorella, who replaced the fired Bruce Cassidy on March 29, the Knights got their swagger back.

How that, as much as anything, has led to playoff success thus far.

The coach points to how the team finished its regular season, going 7-0-1 down the stretch, as a reason for such renewed confidence. That it made the Knights feel good about themselves, which is significant in the playoffs.

That it’s not just about X’s and O’s at this point.

For this, the Knights are in a good spot.

You can see it in their play. In these past few Game 6s. The relentless nature of their attack.

‘Its own task’

“I can’t speak for other teams,” Howden said. “Maybe sometimes they believe they have a cushion because they’re ahead a game in (a series). We don’t go into things thinking like that. We go into each game trying to get the job done. Take it one game at a time. Each has its own task.”

It hasn’t always been this way. Not in every series over nine seasons. But the Knights have won 14 of them since their inception along with 70 playoff games – the most of any franchise during that time.

They most often get better as things roll along.

Now, comes the ultimate challenge: Can they do so against the Avalanche? It would be fun if it gets to a Game 6.

“I think a lot of our guys who have a lot of playoff experience know how important those games are,” defenseman Noah Hanifin said. “Those games are about being prepared and building as the series goes on. It has been our best game of the series (these playoffs). That’s a good trend. Making sure for those games we’re dialed in.”