Wild at Golden Knights, Western Conference 1st Round Game 2 preview

LAS VEGAS -- Don’t expect major changes from either team in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round between the Vegas Golden Knights and Minnesota Wild at T-Mobile Arena on Tuesday (11 p.m. ET; FDSNNO, SCRIPPS, ESPN, SN360, SN, TVAS).

Game 1 was a tight affair throughout; the Golden Knights emerged victorious 4-2 with the final margin supplied by a buzzer-beating, empty-net goal by forward Brett Howden on the way to a 1-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Each team came out healthy from Game 1, liked much of the way it performed and believed it was played to their strengths.

So tinkering around the edges will be the game plan Tuesday.

“One of the things I enjoy about coaching at this time of year is the chess matches, so to speak, right after a game,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said Monday. “What do we see going in that's changed?

“I enjoy days like today where we look at the game from yesterday and see things that maybe you didn't see in real time, and say, ‘This is a couple things we need to do’ without overloading your group.”

One thing Cassidy will try to address is how the Golden Knights handle the Wild’s top line, which accounted for Minnesota's two goals, each by forward Matt Boldy, and was dangerous on several shifts. Boldy had two shots and nine shot attempts.

Cassidy said after Game 1 that he will look at his defense pairs, in makeup and deployment, and possibly make some adjustments.

It’s the same for the Wild.

“I think last night we were able to play a connected five-man unit game," Minnesota coach John Hynes said, "and I think because we played quick, our puck movement was quick and we had good support on the puck and we were able to arrive on time because of the connectedness we played with, whether it was coming out of our own end, the neutral-zone forecheck, the forecheck. I think it allowed us to have some pressure because we were connected as a group.

Look for the Wild to find a way to get more shots through. They had 70 shot attempts but only got 20 through. The Golden Knights blocked 25 shots.

Teams that take a 2-0 lead in a best-of-7 series own an all-time series record of 353-56 (.863), including a 266-34 (.887) mark when starting at home.

Here is a breakdown of Game 2.

Wild: Expect forward Ryan Hartman to see an increased role, promoted to the third line in a flip with Marco Rossi. Hartman was a presence everywhere in Game 1 and finished with an assist, a plus-2 rating, three shots on goal, nine shot attempts and a blocked shot in 14:38 of ice time. What Hynes really liked was Hartman’s discipline; he was targeted physically by the Golden Knights throughout and did not lose focus or discipline. “He played the game, played harder and that’s what we need from Ryan,” Hynes said. “That was a guy that was locked in.”

Golden Knights: Cassidy said he believes his team has to outcompete the Wild to have success. He liked what he saw Sunday, but wants more in Game 2. Vegas was physical with 29 hits, but Minnesota had 54. “Competitiveness, winning your races and battles, is always at the top of the list for me," he said. "It won't be any different.”

Number to know: 48, the career playoff assists total of Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore. His assist on forward Pavel Dorofeyev’s goal in Game 1 tied him with Reilly Smith for the most in Golden Knights history.

What to look for: The fight for face-offs. The Wild won 39 of 65 draws (60 percent), which allowed them to dictate the pace at crucial times. Joel Eriksson Ek was dominant, taking 31 face-offs and winning 21. No other Wild player took more than 15. “When you can start more with the puck, that certainly helps,” Hynes said. “The face-off circle is probably going to be a battle throughout the series. It’s a little thing in the game but it’s a big thing because you can start with pucks more.”