Knights battle their way to 4-2 win in Game 1 vs. Mammoth

Barbashev, who had been replaced on the top line by Mitch Marner, was reunited with Jack Eichel and Mark Stone late in the second period after Tortorella’s experiment of stacking his top three scorers failed to yield any offense. The trio had a combined five shots on goal through nearly two periods and that simply wasn’t enough to justify keeping them together.

“I think our team is best when we play physical and we showed that (Sunday),” said Barbashev, who was credited with eight hits and also put the game away with an empty net goal with 1:39 to play.. “When the playoffs start, guys are a little nervous so it takes a couple of shifts to get going before you settle into the game.”

Tortorella loved what he saw from Barbashev. The snarl with which he played helped set the tone for Game 1 and perhaps the series. He had big hits in the first period on Cooley and Ian Cole that fired up the crowd of 17,979 and his overall play was just what was needed.

“I think he’s a good, honest player,” Tortorella said of Barbashev. “He’ll run you over. He’ll take a hit to make a play. He’s a real pro.”

And with his team trailing 2-1 after the teams traded goals 83 seconds apart in the second period — Colton Sissons for Vegas, and Kevin Stenlund for Utah after Hart failed to connect with a teammate in winding the puck around the boards — Tortorella kept rolling out his lines, waiting for the break.

That break came in the third period when Alex Kerfoot hooked Barbashev and the Knights converted on their first power play of the series with Stone poking home a rebound of Tomas Hertl’s rebound off Marner’s original shot to tie it 2-2.

Not long after, Nic Dowd gave Vegas its first lead of the series as he redirected Noah Hanifin’s pass past Karel Vejmelka for a 3-2 lead as the Knights scored twice in a 1:48 span. It gave the fourth line two goals on the evening, a welcome contribution for any coach.

“You want to believe you were brought here for a reason,” said Dowd, who was acquired from Washington right before the NHL trade deadline in March. “The goal is to contribute in a positive way and you’ve got to play with emotion. It felt good to contribute.”

Tortorella said you need players like Dowd if you hope to be successful in the playoffs.

“He’s a good glue guy who does a lot of things well,” Tortorella said of Dowd, an 11-year NHL veteran.
 
For the Mammoth, while the loss was understandably disappointing, coach Andre Tourigny  liked what he saw.

“As a coach, you need to make sure your team is in the right mindset,” Tourigny said. “I was proud of the way we pushed back and stayed in control. We didn’t act like a young team. We have a team that is really competitive. I didn’t see anyone shy away.

“It was physical. It was intense. Every inch was contested. But it’s one game. It’s a long series.”