With their season on the line, the Dallas Stars received a crucial boost from Ty Dellandrea, a player who had been a healthy scratch for the first two games of the Western Conference Final.
Dellandrea scored two pivotal goals within 1:27 midway through the third period, propelling the Stars to a 4-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. This win kept their hopes of advancing to the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers alive.
“He’s one of the best guys I’ve ever played with,” said Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, who made 27 saves. “He deserves every opportunity he gets, and there’s no one happier for him than the guys in this room. It shows how special you are when you get taken out. He didn’t make it about him. He needed the opportunity to step up, and that’s what he did.”
The Stars staved off elimination for the second consecutive game and head back to Dallas for Game 6 on Monday night, trailing 3-2 in the series. Dallas is aiming to become the fifth team in NHL history to win a series after being down 3-0.
Captain Jamie Benn will return for the Stars after serving a two-game suspension for his cross-check to the neck of Vegas captain Mark Stone in Game 3. That game remains the only one in this series that was decided early, and until Saturday, the Stars hadn’t even had a multigoal lead.
“I know our group, and we weren’t happy about being in the hole we were in, and they decided to do something about it,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “And now we’re rolling.”
DeBoer expressed impatience about waiting two days for Game 6, saying, “Drop the puck.”
DeBoer mentioned that the pressure would shift to the Knights if his team won. Now, it’s up to Vegas to respond after being a period away from the Stanley Cup Final twice and letting both opportunities slip away.
“I don’t think we brought our best the last two games,” Stone said. “We were still in a good spot to win the game. We’ve got to bring a little bit better effort and start playing a little more desperate.”
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy questioned his team’s lack of desperation and criticized their execution.
“We had 24 giveaways,” Cassidy said. “I’m not sure you’re beating the Arizona Coyotes in January with 24 giveaways. That’s no disrespect to Arizona, but it’s not the right way to play.”
Dellandrea’s performance was a highlight, marking his first multigoal playoff game. Jason Robertson and Luke Glendening also scored for Dallas, and Thomas Harley had two assists.
Chandler Stephenson and Ivan Barbashev scored for the Knights, while Jonathan Marchessault had two assists, extending his points streak to four games. Adin Hill made 30 saves.
Dellandrea’s goals came in quick succession, first from the right circle with the puck deflecting off Vegas defenseman Alex Pietrangelo for a 3-2 lead with 9:25 left and then from the slot with 7:58 remaining.
Dellandrea credited the veteran players for keeping him motivated while he was sidelined.
“There’s no denying it’s hard,” he said. “I’m thankful for a good group of character guys, and you’ve just got to stay ready.”
The game saw both teams trading goals in the first two periods.
Jack Eichel battled two Stars players for the puck in Vegas’ offensive zone, with Barbashev swooping in to make a fantastic move past Oettinger to score with 6:24 left in the first period. The Stars quickly responded when Glendening scored on a deflection less than two minutes later.
Dallas was denied a sure goal when Hill made a remarkable save on Roope Hintz’s point-blank shot, leaving Hintz in disbelief.
In the second period, the Knights’ goal by Stephenson was quickly answered by Robertson, who knocked in his own rebound 2:09 later to tie the game at 2-2. Stephenson tied the Knights’ record with his eighth playoff goal this year, and Robertson scored fifth in the series.