The set-up: The expansion Vegas Golden Knights 'exploded' out of the gate and the team's inaugural NHL season just continues to impress. A Game 1 loss at Winnipeg in the Western Conference Finals was not able to slow this team, as led by the outstanding play of veteran goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, Vegas has put together back-to-back victories over the Jets, lifting them to a 2-1 lead over Winnipeg. Fleury made 33 saves in a 4-2 victory in Game 3, surviving relentless pressure from the Jets in pushing the first-year club to within two victories of the Stanley Cup finals, a place Fleury reached with Pittsburgh the past two seasons. Fleury made 30 saves in the team's 3-1 win in Game 2 and after 13 playoff contests, he owns a 1.70 GAA and .945 SP. The Jets looked sloppy and slow in the initial minutes of Game 3 and allowed a goal on a defensive miscue by goaltender Connor Hellebuyck but pounded 16 shots at Fleury in the final 20 minutes and came close to tying the score several times. Now, Winnipeg needs a win or face being down 3-1 when it returns home for Game 5 on Sunday.

Winnipeg: "They're playing really well because they're a really good team," Jets captain Blake Wheeler told reporters after recording two assists in Game 3. "You put yourself in a tough position when you're down by a couple goals on the road, tough environment against a good team. So, the onus is on us to get off to a better start." The good news coming out of the Game 3 loss was that Winnipeg did get the dynamic duo from its top line rolling again, as Mark Scheifele scored twice to give him a league-high 14 goals for the playoffs and Wheeler boosted his NHL-best assist total to 17. However, second-line forward Nikolaj Ehlers was scratched with an undisclosed injury and the Jets looked out of sorts, as Hellebuyck got caught behind his net while allowing a goal 12 seconds after Scheifele tied the game in the second period.

Vegas: Fleury leads all remaining goaltenders in postseason save percentage and goals against average. He admitted nobody thought Vegas would play this deep into May, telling reporters after Game 3: "It's been a long season. It's been a lot of fun to be a part of. Really proud of this team and the way these guys have been working." Once again it was forward Jonathan Marchessault who sparked the Golden Knights offense, scoring a pair of goals for the second consecutive game and recording his third-straight two-point night in the series. Marchessault now has 17 points (eight goals) in the playoffs and along with linemates William Karlsson and Reilly Smith continue to give the Jets defense all kinds of trouble. Playoff veteran James Neal finished with a goal and an assist in Game 3, ending the night plus-3 and leading the Golden Knights with five shots on goal.
The pick: Let's not forget that the Jets earned 114 points this regular season, second to only Nashville's 117. The Jets then beat the Preds in a seven-game series, taking three of four games played in Nashville. Winnipeg's losses in Games 2 and 3 means the team has lost back-to-back contests for the first time since mid-March. Now, for the first time this postseason, the Jets.trail in a playoff series. YUGE game tonight. Fleury made a number of highlight-worthy saves with Vegas nursing a one-goal lead in the final period of Game 3 plus also got plenty of help as the Golden Knights finished with 18 blocked shots and 18 takeaways. The Jets were oh so close to tying Game 3 in the third period but Fleury 'stood on his head.' I say he 'loses his balance' in Game 4. Make Winnipeg a 10* play.