Knights Blank Stars, Set Up Game 7 in Dallas

Noah Hanifin's third period goal separated the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights in a goaltending duel between Jake Oettinger and Adin Hill, and Vegas forced a deciding Game 7 in Dallas on Sunday.

Hanifin scored just before the halfway mark in the third period to break a scoreless tie, and Mark Stone scored his third goal of the series into the empty net to seal the victory with 19 seconds left. 

Hill was the story of the game for Vegas, though, stopping all 23 shots, including several high danger looks from the Stars. Knights head coach Bruce Cassidy rolled the dice in leaving him in net after a 3-2 loss in Game 5. After Logan Thompson looked brilliant at times and shaky at other points of the first four games, Cassidy made the switch to the Cup winning goaltender that was a huge part of why Vegas won a championship last season. The decision to stick with him seemed to pay off bigtime Friday.

For Dallas, Oettinger was the sole reason the Stars had a chance to take the lead for as long as they did. The Stars goalie played brilliantly for the entire game, and the one shot that beat him was high and just barely deflected, making its way off his shoulder pads and into the net. It was the first time all series long that Oettinger had allowed a goal past the second period, and for Vegas, it was the one goal they needed to send the series to a final, deciding game.

Both teams had an expected goals higher than their final total, and the empty netter for Vegas didn't do the final score justice. The goalies were on full display Friday.

Only one series for each conference made it seven games, with the Bruins and Maple Leafs going to Game 7 for a fourth consecutive time between those teams. Plenty of experts picked Dallas to have to grind it out through the full seven games, but it is always tough to lose a potential elimination game in such a tight fashion.

Now, going into Game 7, the lineup seems a little clearer for Vegas than for the prior two games. Cassidy made several changes in Game 5, and then tweaked his lineup again for Game 6, leaving Hill in net but adding Keegan Kolesar back to the fourth line where he spent almost all of the season. It seems all but certain that Hill will be back in net, having shown a flash from his playoff performances last year that seemed to elude him in the second half of the season. Before injury, Hill led the league in goals against average, but never regained form after an injury sidelined him for an extended period of time.

The Stars worked all year to clinch home ice advantage through at least the first three rounds, and they will have a loud home crowd behind them Sunday to try and catapult them into the second round, where the Colorado Avalanche patiently await the winner. To be the best, the Stars will have to beat the best, and Vegas has proven their Cup winning pedigree, even as the eight seed in the West, by taking this series to the final game. Even if the Stars win, the Avs are the Stanley Cup champions from the year before Vegas, so the road to glory won't get any easier. But before looking ahead, the task at hand is to beat the Golden Knights one last time.