Knights prepare for ‘huge games’ with playoff berth in sight

The rest of this four-game road trip isn’t the only challenge the Golden Knights are facing.

They’ve got a lot of hockey ahead of them the next two weeks, much of it on the road. And each game might be important than the next.

The Knights play five of their next six games away from T-Mobile Arena, starting with Thursday’s potential playoff preview against the Winnipeg Jets at Canada Life Centre.

It’s a quick turnaround for the team following Tuesday’s disappointing 5-4 overtime loss to the Nashville Predators. It was a letdown for the Knights after they led 4-1 in the third period. It still shouldn’t damage their postseason hopes.

“I think it’s up to us to stay in the game,” left wing Ivan Barbashev said. “I think we stayed in the game and we still had some chances. Just some unlucky bounces.”

The one point the Knights earned did push their lead for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference to six points. They beat the team attempting to chase them down, the St. Louis Blues, 2-1 in overtime Monday.

That should be plenty of cushion with 10 games remaining in the regular season. The Knights, 6-2-1 their last nine games, just can’t collapse down the stretch.

The points they’ve banked could come in handy. Four of the Knights’ next six opponents are in line to make the playoffs. They face the Jets on Thursday, the Vancouver Canucks on April 2 and 8 and the Edmonton Oilers their final road game April 10.

The Knights have to finish their current trip before they get there. They’ll play the Minnesota Wild on Saturday to wrap up a four-game swing over six days.

“I think we’re a good, well-conditioned club,” coach Bruce Cassidy said. “I think we know how to win.”

It’s not out of the question the Knights and Jets could meet again in the first round.

Winnipeg’s recent struggles have put that in doubt, however. The Jets are 0-3-1 their past four games. That’s caused them to fall five points back of the Dallas Stars for the best record in the Western Conference with a game in hand. The team with the most points will face the second wild card in the first round.

The Knights defeated Winnipeg in five games to start their run to a Stanley Cup championship last year.

One reason the Jets have slipped is the recent play of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

The 2020 Vezina Trophy winner has lost three straight starts and allowed 12 goals in that span. That means Winnipeg may turn to its capable backup more often, a player the Knights know well.

Jets goaltender Laurent Brossoit is in his second stint with the team after playing in Las Vegas for two years. He was the Knights starter in the first round last year, outdueling his former and future partner in Hellebuyck.

Brossoit is 5-1 his last five starts. He is 12-5-2 this season with a .927 save percentage, second-best among goaltenders with at least five games played.

The Knights know each of their next two games carry importance in terms of playoff seeding. The Wild are nine points back of the second wild-card spot with a game in hand. Saturday’s game might be Minnesota’s last chance to start a postseason push.

“We have two huge games coming up,” defenseman Noah Hanifin said. “(Tuesday’s loss is) unfortunate, but we just got to turn the page here. We’re going to have a big test on Thursday.”

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.