Vegas coach John Tortorella is deciding between Reilly Smith and Brandon Saad for Game 6 after William Karlsson and Saad’s own extended absence, with the Stanley Cup Final set for 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. Tortorella believes veterans can handle the moment, while
LAS VEGAS — The morning availability that was supposed to explain everything didn’t feel like a magician’s trick at first.
John Tortorella didn’t come out to spell out his replacement for the injured William Karlsson on Sunday morning, and then the question landed anyway: what about Reilly Smith?
Brayden McNabb. when asked about the possibility of Smith returning for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. sounded like someone who’s already picturing him in the middle of the noise. “I’m excited for him,” McNabb said of the 35-year-old forward. “He’s played in a lot of big games, and I expect a big game. He means a lot. Good player, he gets it and has been a great teammate through this run.”.
Tortorella’s decision is complicated by time away. Smith hasn’t played since Game 6 of the team’s first-round series against Utah.
If Smith doesn’t go, Tortorella’s other option is Brandon Saad, who hasn’t played since Game 2 against Colorado.
“He’s an original and had some big plays in this building,” Tortorella said of Smith. “He’s been a great pro since he sat out. Him and Saader are good players. They’ve done their work as we’ve gone through a long ride here. We’ll see where it goes tonight.”
For Tortorella, the worry isn’t whether these veterans can handle it. It’s whether the lineup change lands at exactly the right moment. “I’m sure the intensity and with the crowd and all that it will be different, but they’ve practised at a high level. They’ll be ready to play,” Tortorella said.
How it might look on the ice is already forming in the background. Mitch Marner and Tomas Hertl are likely to share duties up the middle on the second line that Karlsson was so integral to. Smith or Saad would likely play wing in the bottom six.
And while Tortorella works through the final details, the rest of the room seems to be waiting for Carolina’s next move in its own way. Rod Brind’Amour keeps the boys guessing with what he’ll say next.
Shayne Gostisbehere doesn’t treat Brind’Amour’s pre-game routine like a script. “Every pre-game speech, you think it is going to be the same, but it’s always something different,” he said. “He’s not the same old cliché where you are like, ‘Yeah, we get it, coach. We’re going to play hard.’”
Brind’Amour’s approach connects because he’s spent years on the receiving end. “He’s got a few good ones,” captain Jordan Staal said. “Obviously a great motivator. He puts time into it, I know he does.”
Staal says it’s about understanding what the group needs in that exact room. “Looking across the room and looking in everyone’s eyes. and understanding that they need to bring it. and you need to bring it for them. ” he continued. “He understands that, so he hits that feel a lot. I think the motivation to run through a wall for him is there.”.
Brind’Amour’s methods weren’t pulled from thin air. He has cribbed public-speaking techniques from coaches he had along the way, with Peter Laviolette in 2006 standing out because they won. But the biggest imprint came earlier.
Barry MacKenzie coached Brind’Amour as an impressionable teenager skating for Notre Dame’s Athol Murray College. “Honesty. He was honest and hard, but, like, fair,” Brind’Amour said of his biggest motivator. “We’re all, at that age, trying to get to the next level. And he knew that, and he just had a way of making sure we did things right.”.
“That guy did the most for me. That one guy, the way he did it, that is how I try to go about my business.”
In the Golden Knights camp. Cole Smith — a different Smith. a member of the team that has faced elimination for the first time this spring — talked about the mood Sunday morning with the confidence of someone who knows exactly how quickly this kind of moment can become permanent. “A lot of experience on this team, and with that comes a lot of confidence,” the winger said. “You go in the locker room this morning and there’s a lot of confidence. I don’t think there’s anybody doubting what we can do tonight, and I think that’s huge.”.
Tortorella has said all along that his veteran team always seems to get up for any challenge. and he expanded on that belief again Sunday. “I get a front-row seat on how these guys have handled themselves. and they have done it the right way. ” he said. “Great pros, they’re not afraid of the moment. They’ll be ready to play. What the result is I have no idea, but they’ll be ready to play.”.
For Mitch Marner, it starts with the first exchange. “Just make sure we come in with a mindset of attacking right away,” he said. “We don’t want to sit back. This is a Carolina team that likes to try to attack first as well and likes to really get a really (great) start. We gotta make sure our start is on point and be ready to go. and from there just stay calm. stick with each other. Just make sure we stay even keel through it all. lean on each other. make sure we’re there for one another to help each other out.”.
Carolina isn’t ignoring the distractions that arrive when the dream gets close. Jordan Martinook described how supporters move from home life into a Stanley Cup Final week. “They watch us at home, and now they’re watching us here,” he said. “We want the people closest to us to be supporting us in this time, and that’s just part of it. We’re going to be business as usual, and just happy to have them here to support us.”.
Brind’Amour also used the two days off between Games 5 and 6 as a feature. not a break from focus — an extra day at home. extra time to deal with travel. and the steady pressure of ticket requests from entourages needing to be inside T-Mobile Arena for a 50-50 shot at history. “We’ll be all dialled in come game time,” the coach assured. “It’s the hardest one. You’re playing a team that knows how to win and has done it. We know they’re not going away.
“Not only are you playing a team that gets it, you’re adding distractions now. It’s a little more difficult. You gotta manage that.”
Carolina has handled pressure differently so far, going 3-0 in closeout games. Vegas at home, though, is described as a different ecosystem.
Nikolaj Ehlers pointed to the swingy nature of the Final so far. “The lead changes and everything has been stressful, to say the least. It shows how good both teams are. When you let up just a little bit, teams are going to take advantage. So, stressful, but a lot of fun to be a part of,” he said.
For Ehlers, the moment also carries a private weight. “I told my parents: last night I was lying in bed. and I was like. you got to realize you’re playing the Stanley Cup Final. This might be the last time ever. It’s my first time in 11 years. so it’s extremely special. and to be doing that with this group is a lot of fun. So, taking in every moment, but also want to get the job done.”.
Back on the Carolina bench, Brind’Amour didn’t plan to tinker. He announced Saturday that he won’t be changing his lineup after his team’s most dominant performance Thursday. That means Brandon Bussi will attempt to extend his win streak to three games, and Frederik Andersen is unlikely to dress.
Bussi described the way the game is feeling right now, and the discipline it takes to keep composure. “It’s been fun. We’re playing hockey at the highest level,” he said. “Just stay focused, stay to myself, enjoy it. I don’t know how I’m able to keep my composure. Just that I am.”
With Game 6 set for 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, Tortorella’s final choice — whether it is Reilly Smith returning after his absence since Game 6 vs. Utah or Brandon Saad after his absence since Game 2 against Colorado — will land in the space between experience and urgency. And both teams sound certain the moment won’t be too big.
Brind’Amour is still keeping Carolina’s approach steady. Tortorella is weighing the final adjustment for Vegas. The puck drops soon, and the whole building knows what Sunday morning’s question was really about: who is ready when the margin gets thin.
Carolina’s likely lineup:
Svechnikov – Aho – Martinook
Hall – Stankoven – Blake
Ehlers – Staal – Jarvis
Carrier – Jankowski – Robinson
Slavin – Chatfield
Miller – Walker
Gostisbehere – Nikishin
Vegas’ likely lineup:
Barbashev – Eichel – Stone
Howden – Hertl – Marner
R. Smith – Sissons – Dorofeyev
C. Smith – Dowd – Kolesar
McNabb – Theodore
Hanifin – Andersson
Coghlan – Lauzon
Stanley Cup Final Game 6 Golden Knights Vegas Reilly Smith Brandon Saad William Karlsson John Tortorella Carolina Hurricanes Rod Brind’Amour Mitch Marner Tomas Hertl