‘Playoffs, baby!’ What’s next for Golden Knights after clinching berth?

By Jesse Granger

Monday, March 26, 2018 | 11:30 p.m.

The final horn sounded, gold streamers fell from the roof of T-Mobile Arena and players skated circles at center ice, their sticks raised as a salute to the 18,000 screaming fans.

Golden Knights rookie Alex Tuch leaned into the microphone during the in-arena postgame interview and said it best: “Playoffs, baby!”

With the 4-1 win over Colorado, the Golden Knights clinched a playoff berth and became the first NHL expansion team to make the playoffs in the modern era.

With six games remaining in the regular season, it begs the question. What do they do now?

Top defensemen Nate Schmidt, Deryk Engelland and Colin Miller have all logged about 1,500 minutes on the ice this season, while top-line forwards Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson have each surpassed 1,200 minutes.

But coach Gerard Gallant isn’t satisfied and believes that playing well entering the postseason is more important than rest.

“We play four lines most nights, and you look at the minutes our guys play, and I don’t think they need much rest,” Gallant said. “They get lots of days off, so we’ll see going down the stretch here, but we are planning on playing well going into the playoffs.”

Marchessault, who notched his 25th goal and 46th assist of the season in Monday night’s win, agrees.

“I think as a team we want to play together to be ready for the playoffs,” Marchessault said. “We are hockey players. If you can’t treat your body right at this time of the year, then you shouldn’t be a hockey player. It’s always fun to play in the regular season, but the playoffs are when the real players come out.”

Marchessault’s line has been shuffled recently while Reilly Smith is out with a wrist injury. There is no timetable for Smith’s return, but if he does he’s expected to rejoin Marchessault and Karlsson, who have made up the highest-scoring line in the NHL this season.

Marc-Andre Fleury was spectacular once again, stopping 28 of the 29 shots he faced. Fleury has started 23 of the last 25 games for the Golden Knights and admitted he may get a little extra rest to be fresh for the playoffs.

“We’ve talked about it,” he said. “We will look at the schedule and come up with a plan. I feel good, so I just want to keep feeling that way going into the playoffs.”

In the meantime, Gallant said he is focused on playing the best lineup every night rather than trying to prepare players in the case of future injuries.

“It’s trying to win every game because in the playoffs, things happen too,” Gallant said. “Guys get hurt and you have to move guys in and out of the lineup. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve told you all year long that I like to roll the same four lines out there every night and keep them going, but it doesn’t happen all the time.”

Tomas Tatar has gotten the worst of it since coming to Vegas from Detroit in a trade deadline deal. Tatar has played with different linemates in nearly all 14 games as a Golden Knight.

“Tatar has played left wing, he’s played right wing, he’s played different power-play units,” Gallant said. “He’s getting used to it and I think he’s fine with it.”

Tatar has topped 20 goals and 40 points in three straight seasons with the Red Wings. He has only three goals and an assist since joining Vegas, but has played better as of late.

“It’s not easy (gaining chemistry), but it’s always going to take some time,” Tatar said. “Hopefully before the playoffs I feel 100 percent (comfortable). Wherever I play I’ll try to fill the spot and play my best game.”

And while the Golden Knights have punched their ticket to the postseason, they are still fighting off the San Jose Sharks for the Pacific Division crown. San Jose has won eight straight games and is only six points behind with six games to play, including a matchup with the Golden Knights this Saturday.

“Don’t get me wrong — I’m not going to be devastated if (we don’t win the division), but if that didn’t happen then that means we aren’t playing good hockey, and I expect us to play good hockey,” Gallant said, stressing that playing their best entering the playoffs is the most important thing.

This isn’t where anyone thought the Golden Knights would be at this point in the season, including Gallant.

“Early in the season I went home many a nights and said, ‘You know what, what’s going on here?’” Gallant said, laughing. “Now I come to the rink and I expect our team to play well and I expect to win. That’s what changed.”

The Golden Knights have tasted success, many players for the first time, and now are hungry for more.

“To make the playoffs I’ve got to say I’m real happy,” Gallant said. “It’s a great feat for our club, but hopefully there are a lot of games left for us.”