Misfit Line comes through for Knights in West Division final

Much of the focus through three games of the West Division final has been on the matchup between the No. 1 lines of the Golden Knights and Avalanche, and rightfully so.

All the while, it’s the Misfit Line that’s provided most of the offense for the Knights.

The trio of William Karlsson, Jonathan Marchessault and Reilly Smith have benefited from the absence of suspended Colorado forward Nazem Kadri and helped keep the Knights in the best-of-seven series.

The Avalanche lead 2-1 in the battle between the top two teams in regular season with a pivotal Game 4 set for Sunday at T-Mobile Arena.

“Those guys have been here since day one,” Knights coach Pete DeBoer said. “And they’re not alone in that group, but that’s the identity of this franchise.”

Karlsson, Marchessault and Smith have been one of the league’s most productive lines the past four seasons and were branded the Misfit Line on social media after the “Golden Misfits” nickname associated with the inaugural team.

They’ve produced four of the Knights’ six goals in the series against Colorado, all at five-on-five and often at key times.

“Obviously, we believe in each other,” Marchessault said. “We’re never going to be satisfied until we actually win it all, and I think we have the team for that.”

Karlsson gave the Knights their first lead in the series when he deftly kicked the puck onto his stick to set up a backhand early in the second period of Game 3.

Marchessault scored his first goal in eight games during the third period Friday to tie the score at 2-2 with 5:18 remaining. He missed his first attempt from in tight but banked the puck off the back of Avalanche goalie Philipp Grubauer from behind the goal line.

“He’s one of the guys who helped build the culture of this team,” captain Mark Stone said of Marchessault. “That’s why you see us able to come back in these games. We could have easily folded the tents, backed off and gone down 0-3. He’s a big guy, big-time player.”

Smith set up Marchessault’s chance in Game 3 and also tallied the tying goal in Game 2 with a nifty move and finish around the net.

When they’re matched against the line centered by Avalanche star Nathan MacKinnon, the Misfit Line hasn’t generated a shot attempt (13-0) at five-on-five in three games, according to NaturalStatTrick.com.

But with the last change at home in Game 3, the Knights were able to get the Karlsson, Marchessault and Smith on the ice against Colorado’s middle six forwards more frequently.

Kadri, who normally centers Colorado’s second line, is serving an eight-game suspension for an illegal check to the head on St. Louis’ Justin Faulk during the first round and is ineligible until Game 7. He appealed to an independent arbitrator and is awaiting the ruling.

Overall in the series, Karlsson, Marchessault and Smith generated 61 percent of the expected goals at five-on-five and have two of their goals on four high-danger chances.

“The last couple games our whole team has taken a dip, but I’m confident those guys can get the job done,” Avalanche coach Jared Bednar said. “But no question that we miss a guy like Naz in a series like this playing against a deep team with a deep group of forwards.

“It’s a tougher challenge than we’ve ever faced in Vegas being a top team and playing the right way.”

Contact David Schoen at dschoen@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5203. Follow @DavidSchoenLVRJ on Twitter.