Nick Holden emerges as unsung hero in Golden Knights-Wild series

Nick Holden wore a big smile on his face and a T-shirt with the cartoon character Goofy. He and fellow Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez cracked each other up throughout Friday's video news conference, having fun during an obligation that can be drudgery for some athletes.

"I would like to give a shout out to this guy," Martinez said. "He said it was fun last night. I think it's only fitting that he's wearing his Disney Goofy shirt right now in a press conference. Nice."

Such is life for the Golden Knights after their 5-2 victory over the Wild on Thursday night at Xcel Energy Center gave them a 2-1 lead in the West Division first-round playoff series.

Winning, of course, lightens the mood, and Holden was taking full advantage.

Playing in his first game since April 9, Holden drew into the Vegas lineup as third-pair defenseman and made his coach, Peter DeBoer, look like a genius. Holden, who played only 17 games in the regular season, assisted on Patrick Brown's tying goal and Reilly Smith's winner as the Golden Knights rallied from two goals down to beat the Wild.

"I have to say it was fun," Holden said. "Coaches and training staff have done a good job of making sure that I was ready physically. I'm comfortable with my game, so being able to get in, it was just fun to be able to be back out there and competing."

Sensing fatigue in regular third-pair blue-liner Nicolas Hague, DeBoer opted for Holden on Thursday. Throughout the season, Holden, 34, was a salary cap casualty, being placed on waivers and sitting in favor of Hague because Hague carried a smaller cap hit.

"We haven't been able to put him in even when there's been opportunity for him," DeBoer said. "Veteran guy, understood it, kept working, never complained. I wanted to get him in. We're going to need seven or eight defensemen."

Added Martinez, "He truly is a consummate professional. He's been dealt a hand this year, with all the cap things, that is a pretty difficult situation to be confronted with."

Holden, who re-signed with Vegas in the offseason on a two-year, $3.4 million contract, understands and accepts his role.

"It's probably been the most interesting [season] of my career," he said. "Being able to stay ready, stay engaged, has been pretty easy for me this year just by not being able to play a ton of games. … I'm comfortable in my game. I wasn't too concerned jumping in not having played in a while."

Through Thursday, road teams held a 10-8 record in the NHL playoffs. DeBoer credits that to home-ice advantage not being as important as it once was.

"There definitely is a piece of the pressure that home teams put on themselves to win those games. I think it's easier to play on the road. This year it's even easier because you're not going into really hostile environments with 20,000 people in the stands."

Max Pacioretty, the Golden Knights leading goal-scorer in the regular season with 24, hasn't played since May 1 because of an undisclosed injury and remains a game-time decision in this series. DeBoer has been impressed how his team has handled Pacioretty's absence.

"Whether it's been short lineups or injuries or COVID, it's just been next man up and get to work," he said. "Obviously, Patches, that's a big hole for us. You take anyone's leading goal-scorer out of their lineup and it changes the identity of that team. He's a goal-a-game guy. Whether he's scoring it or helping create it, that's what he is."