Golden Knights look to finish off Sharks in Game 6

SAN JOSE, Calif. — It’s an obvious quip, of course. But the Golden Knights really do smell blood in the water.

Now comes the difficult part: Finishing off the Sharks.

The Knights enter Game 6 with a 3-2 lead over San Jose in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals and hope to show off a killer instinct Sunday with the chance to close out the series.

Opening faceoff is at 4:30 p.m. at SAP Center.

“I think (winning) the fourth game is always the toughest,” goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said Saturday after the Knights’ practice at SAP Center. “They’re a good team. They’ve got a lot of veterans. They’ve been through it before. By no means it’s going to be easy, but I think it’s a great opportunity for us to finish it off and not wait thinking we have two games to do it.”

Should the Knights emerge with a victory, they would become the third franchise in NHL history to win multiple series in its inaugural season.

The Toronto Arenas accomplished the feat in 1918 on the way to winning the Stanley Cup, and the St. Louis Blues defeated Philadelphia and Minnesota in the all-expansion West Division to advance to the Stanley Cup Final in 1968.

“It’s just finding another gear,” Knights forward Erik Haula said. “When the series is on the line, and you’ve got a chance to close it out, don’t waste a moment. Don’t take anything for granted. You have to find a way to play your best game, and individually, that’s what we’re focused on. And if everyone’s able to do that, we’ll be fine.”

Fleury noted the Knights showed a ruthless streak in their first-round sweep against Los Angeles, when they won 1-0 on the road in Game 4.

And they have history working in their favor, too.

San Jose all time has lost 11 of 12 playoff series when trailing 3-2. The Sharks’ lone series win came in the Western Conference quarterfinals in 1995, when they rallied to defeat Calgary.

The Sharks are 12-19 when facing elimination and have lost their past two such games at home. Overall in Game 6s, San Jose is 6-18 (3-8 at home).

“We know they’re going to have their fans get them going,” said Knights rookie Alex Tuch, who scored two goals in a 5-3 victory Friday in Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena. “They’re going to come out flying because it’s do-or-die for them, and we’d rather not have it go to Game 7.”

The Knights’ killer instinct also extends to their inability to hold leads against San Jose, which has been a recurring issue throughout the series.

Tuch’s second goal Friday put the Knights up 4-0 with 11:24 remaining in the third period before the Sharks answered with three goals in a span of 6:09.

In Game 2, San Jose wiped out a 2-0 deficit with three goals in the second period and, ultimately, the Knights lost in double overtime.

The Knights blew a 3-1 lead in Game 3, allowing Tomas Hertl’s tying goal with 1:57 remaining, but went on to win in overtime when William Karlsson scored.

San Jose has outscored the Knights 6-2 in the third period over the past three games.

“I think it’s a mental thing,” Knights coach Gerard Gallant said. “Again, you get up 4-0 and you look at the scoreboard and you think the game’s over and you open the door a little bit and then they get a little bit of momentum. You’ve just got to make sure you finish hard every game.

“Obviously when you’re down 3-2 like the San Jose team, they’re going to bring out their best. We get a chance to win the series (Sunday), so let’s bring our best game.”

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