Playoff series leaders are assuming nothing

As tempting as it may to be think about how close the Golden Knights are to reaching the Western Conference final, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury said the team’s mindset is much the same as it’s been all season.

“I think we had this mentality all year long: it’s all about the next game,” the three-time Stanley Cup champion said. “That’s where the focus has to be. Just rest, relax and eat well. Get ready for the next one.”

Vegas can become the third team in NHL history to win multiple series in its inaugural season. The league’s first-ever postseason saw the Toronto Arenas win the 1918 NHL Final against the Montreal Canadiens before defeating the Pacific Coast Hockey Association’s Vancouver Millionaires to win the Stanley Cup.

In 1968, the St. Louis Blues defeated the Philadelphia Flyers and Minnesota North Stars to emerge from the all-expansion West Division to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

Lightning

Tampa Bay is one win away from the team’s third trip to the Eastern Conference final in four years, a step it can take by beating Boston Sunday at home in Game 5 of their best-of-seven semifinal. “I’d be the first one to tell you we’ve accomplished nothing,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. “We’ve won a couple of games in this series. You’ve got to win four, not three.”