George Strait made Amarillo By Morning famous. The Vegas Golden Knights are hoping to cover it with a tweak of their own: Dallas By Sunday.
The defending Stanley Cup champions need to win one game in Las Vegas to force a Game 7 on Sunday in Texas.
The Golden Knights have lost three straight to Dallas after winning the opening two games of the series and now trail 3-2. Vegas is on the brink of having its quest to repeat snuffed and, no doubt, are feeling like the hero Strait’s voice immortalized.
They took my saddle in Houston
Broke my leg in Santa Fe
Lost my wife and a girlfriend
Somewhere along the way
Playoff hockey is about a lot of things but managing momentum between games is a crucial facet. Dallas is feeling good right now and the Golden Knights are in the throes of a tough country song. But until there is none, there is always light. And where there is light there is hope.
Head coach Bruce Cassidy says his group has the resiliency to get up, knock the dust off and push back into the series.
“We’ll hang our hats on the fact we’re the defending Stanley Cup champions, so there’s a lot of resolve in that room,” said Cassidy. “A lot of pride in that room. We’ve got to go home and win one game in the playoffs. That’s something we’re certainly capable of. Will it happen? Dallas is going to have a say in that, but it’s not this obstacle we can’t overcome. It’s a home win. Let’s get after it, get some rest and be ready to go.”
When that Sun is high
In that Texas sky
I'll be buckin' at the county fair
Amarillo by mornin'
Amarillo I'll be there
Perhaps the greatest thing the Golden Knights have going right now is they haven’t played their best game in this series. Not even close. There’s more to give. Can they uncork a full 60 of their best hockey? That remains to be seen. But they need to make it happen. And they need to now.
“I still think these last two games, we’re right there. In the second period, late again, it got away from us for puck management and discipline, and it allowed them to get going,” said Cassidy “We feel we’re playing a pretty good game when we manage the puck and make the plays that are in front of us. They’re never going to be perfect. Dallas is quick, they’re a team that gets on you. You obviously have to make a few adjustments on them leaving the zone early, we need to manage that better. I thought when they were doing that, when we got the puck and collected it and countered it, then we were pretty good. There’s give and take when you get that.”
The last two games could have gone either way. Dallas managed to take a lead in the second period of both games and then defended their own net like their lives depended on it. The Stars lost to the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Final last season and they picked up a lesson or two along the way. As well as some hunger.
Can Vegas turn the tables on them? Three-time Stanley Cup champion Alec Martinez says it’s in his teammates to make it happen.
“It’s a couple of different things. You rely on experience. It’s not the first adversity that this team has faced. To expect to get to a Stanley Cup Final or win a Stanley Cup and not have your back against the wall is fairly unrealistic,” said Martinez. “This is what the playoffs are all about. We’ll learn from this game, go home and see what we are made of. Put our best foot forward and get a win at home.”
If the Knights can win Game 6 on Friday night in Vegas, they’ll have re-written the song to their own liking. Music to their fans’ ears.
Amarillo by mornin'
Amarillo's where I'll be
Amarillo by mornin'
Amarillo's where I'll be
Dallas by Sunday.
That’s where everyone in Vegas wants to be.
