Golden Knights diversify attack on power play

During the second period of Game 2 of the Western Conference Final, TV analyst Ed Olczyk broke down a set play the Golden Knights ran on a power play.

The execution was lacking, as the former NHL player and coach illustrated, but it was another step in the right direction for a unit that’s battled through inconsistency.

“I think your power play is whatever the other team is willing to give you,” Knights coach Pete DeBoer said Wednesday. “I think we have the ability to move guys around like (Mark Stone), like (Max Pacioretty), in order to throw different looks. If they’re going to take them away some place, you can move them around some place else.”

On the play Olczyk showed, William Karlsson moved the puck from the top of the left faceoff circle to Stone, who was stationed on the goal line. Stone threaded a pass through the slot, but Pacioretty was unable to control the puck in the right circle.

Positioning Stone on the goal line provided a new threat for the Knights’ power play, one that hasn’t been seen since early in the season when Cody Glass was healthy. Stone previously played on the flanks, but this spot takes advantage of his playmaking ability and grittiness around the net.

“The bottom line is you want to get the puck in your best players’ hands as much as possible, and if you have to move them around to do that, that’s what we do,” DeBoer said. “I think that the great thing about (Stone) and a lot of great players is that he’s comfortable in all those spots. He’s comfortable around the net, and he’s very dangerous there.”

Karlsson scored a power-play goal in the second period to snap a 1-for-15 skid by the Knights with the man advantage. Shea Theodore also had a power-play goal in the second period wiped out by goaltender interference.

Despite the recent slump, the Knights have a power-play goal in seven of their past 10 games.

“I think whenever someone has the puck, there’s a lot of options out there,” Karlsson said. “We’re just feeling very confident in what we’re doing. We got a couple shots and stuff like that. Bring that into the next game and hopefully score some more.”

Responding to Reaves

The Knights stood a little taller in Game 2 with Ryan Reaves back in the lineup after he served a one-game suspension for an illegal check to the head of Vancouver’s Tyler Motte.

Reaves finished with six hits in 9:49 of ice time, and the fourth line helped set a physical tone in a 3-0 victory. Dallas captain Jamie Benn was asked how to combat a talkative player such as Reaves without the ham-fisted enforcers that used to dot NHL rosters.

The question was more than half a minute long. Benn’s answer was considerably shorter.

“You just try to ignore him, I guess,” he said.

Panda facts

— Robin Lehner’s shutout streak of 131:44 is the second-longest postseason run in franchise history behind Marc-Andre Fleury (144:04 in 2018).

— Lehner is the sixth goaltender to record his first four career playoff shutouts in the same season, according to NHL public relations. He joined Miikka Kiprusoff (five in 2004), Jean-Sebastien Giguere (five in 2003), Patrick Lalime (five in 2002), Olaf Kolzig (four in 1998) and Frank McCool (four in 1945).

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