Golden Knights get chance to clinch series at T-Mobile Arena

The Golden Knights have had unprecedented playoff success in their first four NHL seasons.

They’ve won five playoff series. They’ve compiled the highest postseason winning percentage in the league. They’ve made two conference finals and one Stanley Cup Final.

But there is a gaping hole on their resume. The Knights, for all their playoff prowess, have never won a series in front of their home fans.

Their three series wins in their inaugural season came on the road. They advanced two rounds last postseason in the NHL’s bubble in Edmonton, Alberta.

So Monday represents a rare opportunity for the Knights. With more than 11,000 fans expected to congregate inside T-Mobile Arena, they can check off another franchise first and advance to the second round with a victory over the Minnesota Wild.

The Knights lead the best-of-seven series 3-1. The winner will meet the Colorado Avalanche, who completed a sweep of the St. Louis Blues on Sunday, in the West Division final.

“The fourth one’s always the toughest one to win,” Knights coach Pete DeBoer said. “They’re a proud group with a great record. They’re a great team, so I expect that they’re going to show up with a great game. It’s a great opportunity for us to have a chance to close out a real good team at home in front of our fans.”

The Knights have had one other opportunity to finish a series at home.

They led the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in their second season, but lost Game 6 2-1 in double overtime. The Sharks, who were coached by DeBoer at the time, won Game 7 after an infamous and controversial major-penalty call on center Cody Eakin.

That series was one of three in which the Knights led 3-1. They defeated the Winnipeg Jets in five games in their inaugural season, lost to the Sharks in seven and defeated the Vancouver Canucks last postseason in seven.

The Sharks remain the most recent team to overcome a 3-1 series deficit. Twenty-nine teams have done it in NHL history. The Wild have done it twice, in the first and second rounds of the 2003 playoffs.

“We’re going to have to go home and expect their best effort,” Knights captain Mark Stone said. “They’re going to come with a push. They’re going to want to try to bring this series back (to Minnesota).”

The Knights’ playoff history suggests that won’t be easy. They have the highest playoff winning percentage in the NHL at .608 (31-20), ahead of the five-time Stanley Cup-winning Edmonton Oilers .595 (160-109) entering Sunday’s games. They are 10-5 at T-Mobile.

The Wild are 13-28 all time on the road in the playoffs, including 1-1 in this series. They’re 6-3-1 all time at T-Mobile, including the playoffs.

But they’ve lost three straight to the Knights as the series shifts back to Las Vegas.

“Of course we’re really excited to come back to our building,” center Nicolas Roy said. “It’s been amazing, and it’s going to be even better next game.”

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.