Overview
- The best-of-seven series opens at 10 p.m. ET Sunday at T-Mobile Arena, with ESPN carrying the game nationally and Scripps Sports airing it locally in Las Vegas.
- Vegas rides a 7-0-1 surge under Tortorella after the March 29 coaching change, clinched the Pacific Division, and opens at home as the betting favorite.
- Utah reaches the postseason for the first time since relocating to Salt Lake City, and the roster includes 10 players who have never appeared in a Stanley Cup Playoff game.
- The Mammoth won two of three against Vegas in the regular season and lean on speed and scorers like Logan Cooley, Clayton Keller, and Dylan Guenther.
- Goaltending is in the spotlight, with Vegas’ Carter Hart trending up late in the season and Utah’s net still a question, a factor many see as decisive in a tight series.