The Dallas Stars defeated the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 on Saturday to avoid elimination in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Here’s what you need to know:
- As the game ended 2-2 in the third half, Stars forward Ty Dellandrea got the go at 10:35 to give Dallas a 3-2 lead. Dellandrea scored another goal in the quarter after 12:02, sealing the Stars’ victory.
- Jason Robertson and Luke Glendening also scored for Dallas. Ivan Barbashev and Chandler Stephenson were the Golden Knights’ goalscorers.
- Vegas leads the series 3-2. Game 6 takes place on Monday at 8:00 p.m. ET.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Vegas squandered another great performance from Hill
The Golden Knights were over and under throughout Saturday’s game, missing another opportunity to end the streak. Adin Hill’s heroics at net were the only reason the two periods were close.
He turned his head and stole several prime chances from the Stars to keep Vegas in the game, but in the end Dallas’ offensive pressure was too much. – Grange
Vegas’ Deep has been defeated
Both teams scored goals from their top players on Saturday. Jack Eichel and Barbashev scored Vegas’ first goal together, and Stephenson scored the second. Dallas scored another goal from Robertson.
The difference in the game was the depth of the Stars’ forwards, which dramatically exceeded Vegas’. Third line winger Dellandrea scored both goals in the third period to secure the win and the fourth line had a massive possession advantage over the Vegas fourth line all evening. – Grange
Dellandrea’s debut
Dellandrea had been a healthy substitute in the first two games of the series against the Golden Knights, so Saturday marked his first game in Las Vegas this postseason. Dellandrea is one of the Stars’ best strikers when taking penalties and usually creates difficult minutes in the fourth half.
With the Stars defeating Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov in Game 5, Dellandrea thrived. The stars had a hard time untying Vegas goaltender Hill, who made one spectacular save after another, including robbing Roope Hintz and Joel Kiviranta on the doorstep.
Dellandrea solved the mystery, scoring twice in under two minutes in the third period. That proved to be the game-changer and put the Stars in a position to force Game 6 in Dallas. – Yousuf
What the star lineup will look like when Jamie Benn returns for Game 6
The Stars will now welcome Captain Benn back into the lineup in Game 6.
One of the main storylines to watch over the next few days will be who comes out to make way for Benn. Dellandrea scored twice, Glendening added value in penalties and in the circle and Joel Kiviranta continued to show solid performances. Fredrik Olofsson has been a spark for the fourth row in the last two games he has slipped.
On merit, the answer seems to be Mason Marchment, who struggled in these playoffs but was a regular when he was healthy. It will be interesting to see how Stars head coach Pete DeBoer handles this. – Yousuf
climax of the game
key stats
Robertson became the fourth player in Stars/North Stars franchise history to score five goals in the pre-Stanley Cup Finals round. The other three players are Brett Hull (2000), Jamie Langenbrunner (1999), and Bill Goldsworthy (1968).
required reading
(Photo: Chris Unger/Getty Images)