The Vegas Golden Knights look to take a commanding 3-1 Western Conference Final series lead when they host the Winnipeg Jets in Game 4 on Friday at T-Mobile Arena.
It’s nearly a must-win for the Jets, who fell 4-2 in Game 3 on Wednesday. Since 1973, teams that have taken a 3-1 series in the conference final round have won the series more than 90 percent of the time.
In order for Winnipeg to even the series they’ll need to get some scoring help for Mark Scheifele, who has scored a playoff-best 14 goals including both of the Jets’ goals in Game 3.
Aside from the home vs. away narrative, scoring first as also played a major factor for both teams. Winnipeg is 8-1 when it scores the first goal while Vegas is 7-1 in the playoffs. None of the Jets’ top four goal scorers — Patrik Laine, Kyle Connor, Nikolaj Ehlers and Blake Wheeler — during the regular season have more than five goals in the postseason. Laine, who scored a team-high 44 goals, leads the quartet with four goals.
It’ll be a tough task for the Jets against Vegas goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who is 10-3 with league-best in goals-against average (1.70) and save percentage (.945) in the playoffs.
How to watch Friday’s game:
Stanley Cup playoffs schedule
| Matchup | Series | Time | TV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game 5: Washington at Vegas | WSH 3-1 | 7 p.m. | NBC |
SB Nation sites to follow on Twitter:
Winnipeg (@arcticicehockey) at Vegas (@knightsonice)