Wranglers leaning on experience

Twice last season, the Wranglers staved off elimination in the final game of an ECHL playoff series.

Las Vegas beat Bakersfield 5-1 in Game 7 of the Pacific Division semifinals and then stopped Stockton 5-1 in Game 7 of the division finals.

Today the Wranglers, who are 3-0 all time in Game 7s, face another must-win situation -- albeit in a Game 5 -- in the final contest of their first-round playoff series against the Utah Grizzlies at the E-Center.

The winner will advance to the National Conference semifinals against the top-seeded Idaho Steelheads.

"It's exciting anytime you can play in a game like this, like a Game 7. You've got to embrace it and enjoy it," said Wranglers captain Chris Neiszner, who had two goals and an assist in last year's Game 7 win over Bakersfield and also scored a goal in the Game 7 victory over Stockton.

"This is why you play hockey, for this time of the year," he said.

Neiszner, who along with Ned Lukacevic and Kyle Hagel leads Las Vegas scorers with four points in the playoffs, said experience in elimination games is a huge asset heading into today's showdown.

"We've got a lot of guys who went through this last year. Now we have to thrive off of it and use it to our advantage," said Neiszner, who has three goals and an assist in the series. "It's do or die now, and you have to go in with that attitude. You've got to play your best for the whole 60 minutes.

"We've shown, when we play our best, we can play with anyone, and that's what's going to happen (today)."

Utah, which staved off elimination Sunday with a 4-2 comeback win over the Wranglers, dominated the regular-season series between the teams, winning 10 of 14 meetings.

But their playoff series has been dead even, with each team scoring 15 goals and winning two games, one at home and one on the road.

Las Vegas beat the Grizzlies 6-4 in Game 1 and 6-3 in Game 3, while Utah beat the Wranglers 4-1 in Game 2 and 4-2 in Game 4.

"I'm sure they probably thought they would steamroll us," Las Vegas coach Ryan Mougenel said. "But we've been a very good team as of late, and I'm impressed with how the guys responded.

"We're still living for another day, and that's what it's all about. This one game is what we've been building for all year."

The Wranglers got goals from Lukacevic, Adam Miller and Alex Bourret in their Game 3 win at Utah, and Mougenel said he's counting on his big guns to come through again today.

"That's real important, that those guys come to play," he said. "Those guys know what's at stake, they've got a lot of pride, and I'm excited to see how they respond."

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.