Golden Knights say playoff ‘destiny is in our own hands’

Half of the Golden Knights spent one of their few March practice days doing pushups.

The team, which has more than one day between games for the first time this month, had a shootout competition Monday with the third line, blue line and goaltender Logan Thompson facing the first, second and fourth lines and goalie Robin Lehner.

It was a rare lighthearted moment during a difficult and busy stretch. Especially when defenseman Daniil Miromanov scored the winning goal and fans at City National Arena watched the losing team do pushups (or, in center Jack Eichel’s case, crunches).

The Knights won’t have much time for fun and games the rest of the way. They have 14 games remaining when their schedule resumes Wednesday, and every one will be critical in their quest for a playoff berth.

The Knights remain confident in their ability to get the job done.

“I really believe our destiny is in our own hands,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “We’re going to have to win nine or 10 of them to give ourselves a chance. We know that. We’re capable of doing that.”

The Knights hold a playoff spot with 76 points from 68 games, but that grip is tenuous at best. They’re ahead one point on Dallas for the Western Conference’s second wild-card spot, and the Stars have four games in hand.

The Knights will need to close strong to make up ground there or in the Pacific Division. They are 4-2 in their past six games, as is Dallas. Edmonton, third in the Pacific, went 3-2-1 in that stretch. The Oilers entered Monday with a one-point lead on the Knights with two games in hand.

That’s why DeBoer’s projected 9-5-0 or 10-4-0 finish could be necessary to overtake one of those teams.

“Obviously, we’re in a tight spot,” center Jake Leschyshyn said. “(But) lots of games ahead. Lots of potential to win games, as well.”

The Knights still think they can go on a run.

They got an extra boost at Monday’s practice when Lehner and defenseman Brayden McNabb skated with the team. Lehner has missed the past 10 games with a lower-body injury and McNabb the past 13 with an undisclosed injury.

DeBoer said the team will decide after Tuesday’s practice whether Lehner or McNabb, who wore a noncontact jersey, will go on the three-game trip to Seattle and Vancouver. Getting either one back would be huge after defenseman Alec Martinez returned for Saturday’s game against Chicago.

The team needs all the help it can get while “fighting for our lives,” as defenseman Zach Whitecloud said. But the Knights are steadfast that their experience will pay off during this crucial final month. They’ve made the playoffs four straight seasons and won multiple rounds in three of them.

“Playing in those tight games where every single puck out matters, every single blue-line chip matters, every single breakout matters, those are the things that we know how to do,” Whitecloud said.

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