The Vegas Golden Knights secured another victory on their dads’ trip, with six players finding the back of the net in a dominant 6-1 win over the Dallas Stars on Saturday.
Paul Cotter, who scored his first goal in 18 games since Oct. 30, was among those celebrating in front of their fathers. “It’s pretty cool, obviously, all the dads are here,” Cotter said. “When you get lucky enough to get one while he’s in the building, it’s pretty cool. So maybe we should start bringing these guys here more often.”
Captain Mark Stone, Zach Whitecloud, and Nicholas Roy each had a goal and an assist, while Chandler Stephenson, William Carrier, and Pavel Dorofeyev scored for the Stanley Cup champions. The Golden Knights began their annual dads’ trip with a 6-3 win in St. Louis on Wednesday night, extending their record in such games to 9-0-1.
Vegas, now 18-5-5 and with an NHL-high 41 points, controlled the game from the start. Dallas, with 15 wins and 33 points in its 26 games, has struggled recently, losing three of its last four games since an 8-1 victory over Tampa Bay a week earlier.
“There’s a lot to like,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Our checking game was terrific. We didn’t allow them much time and space. … We wanted to get the right start, and we did.”
Cassidy noted the favorable schedule, with Vegas benefiting from two days off in Dallas while the Stars had played three road games in four nights before a day off on Friday.
“It’s a tough scheduled game. So I think knowing that, you have to do a few things, be the smarter team, defend well, and try and get the lead,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “We didn’t do any of those things. We were soft around our net. We didn’t help Jake out.”
Logan Thompson made 19 saves for Vegas, while Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger stopped 20 of 26 shots.
Chandler Stephenson opened the scoring just 2 1/2 minutes into the game with his third goal of the season, followed by Whitecloud’s wrister from the top of the left circle. Whitecloud’s goal came after some deft puck movement, with William Carrier setting up the play.
The previous four regular-season games between the Knights and Stars had all gone beyond regulation. Vegas won a shootout at home on Oct. 17 and an overtime game in Dallas on Nov. 22. Additionally, three of the six games in their Western Conference Final last May went to overtime.
This time, the Knights took a commanding 3-1 lead after the first period, with Stone scoring his eighth goal after his initial shot bounced back to him off a defender’s skate. Evgenii Dadonov scored Dallas’ lone goal midway through the first period, capitalizing on a rebound after Thompson couldn’t control Jamie Benn’s shot.
UP NEXT
- Golden Knights: Host San Jose on Sunday, starting a four-game homestand.
- Stars: Host Detroit on Monday night, the second of three consecutive home games.