The Vegas Golden Knights are heading back to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in their six-year history, thanks to a dominant performance against the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final.
William Karlsson scored twice and had an assist, while William Carrier and Jonathan Marchessault also found the net, leading the Knights to a commanding 6-0 victory. The win ensured Vegas didn’t need a Game 7 to secure their place in the final.
“We’ve worked hard as a group. That was the goal since year one, to come back here,” Marchessault said. “Our best game is yet to come. That’s the mentality we need to have.”
Reilly Smith, Brayden McNabb, and Shea Theodore, who were part of the inaugural 2017-18 Knights team, are also returning to the finals. That season, they lost to the Washington Capitals after winning Game 1.
“That first year was a whirlwind, and we maybe took it for granted,” said Karlsson, who, like Marchessault and Smith, has played in all 83 playoff games for the franchise.
Keegan Kolesar and Michael Amadio each contributed a goal and an assist for Vegas. The Golden Knights will host Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers on Saturday night.
The Knights led the Western Conference with 51 wins and 111 points during the regular season. The Panthers, who completed a four-game sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the East final, had the fewest points among the 16 playoff teams with 40 wins and 92 points.
Adin Hill made 23 saves for his second career playoff shutout, both against the Stars. His first came in Game 3, a 4-0 victory for the Knights. Vegas led the series 3-0 before Dallas forced Games 5 and 6.
“We kept them to the outside almost all night,” Hill said. “It was probably my easiest game of the playoffs so far tonight.”
Instead of facing a decisive Game 7 at home, the Knights took control early in Game 6, scoring three goals in the first 7 1/2 minutes and never looking back.
“It was definitely our best game of the playoffs, and it came at the right time,” Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “You don’t want to let a team off the mat. After getting a 3-0 lead, there was some chatter about that.”
It was the Stars’ most lopsided playoff loss since they moved from Minnesota to Dallas before the 1993-94 season.
“You just expect more from yourself in a game like this,” said Stars forward Joe Pavelski, the 38-year-old veteran still seeking his first Stanley Cup after 17 seasons.
The Stars got captain Jamie Benn back after his two-game suspension for a cross-check to the neck of Vegas captain Mark Stone in Game 3. However, Benn managed only one shot on goal in his 12 1/2 minutes on the ice and was present for two of Vegas’ first three goals.
The Knights took the lead for good when Carrier scored 3:41 into the game after a puck was poked from behind the net amid three Dallas players. Carrier skated across the crease and scored with a backhander, marking the ninth time the Knights scored in the first five minutes this postseason.
Karlsson’s power-play goal midway through the first period made it 2-0. Nicolas Roy’s shot deflected off Jake Oettinger’s glove and popped up in the air behind the goalie. Karlsson charged into the crease when Stars defenseman Esa Lindell swatted the puck out of play, drawing a delay of game penalty.
With the man advantage, Smith took a shot from the circle deflected by Roy and then off Oettinger’s skate before Karlsson knocked in the rebound. Karlsson’s franchise-record 10th goal of the playoffs extended the lead to 5-0 two minutes into the third period.
“Real disappointed for our group for how our season ended,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “It was a case of Vegas going to another level.”
Game Notes:
- Oettinger had been 3-0 when the Stars faced elimination this postseason, including Game 7 in the second round against Seattle, before stopping 64 of 68 shots in the past two games against the Knights. That came after Vegas scored three goals on five shots in the first 7:10 to chase him from Game 3.
- Dallas was only the fifth team to force a Game 6 in a conference final or NHL semifinal after being down 0-3, and the first since the Stars lost to Detroit in Game 6 in 2008. Only two teams have forced a Game 7, which both lost — the New York Islanders to Philadelphia in 1975 and the New York Rangers to Boston in 1939.