In a game featuring a combined 108 hits between the two teams, Dallas still finds itself in an 0-2 hole against Vegas.
In a game featuring a combined 108 hits between the two teams, Dallas still finds itself in an 0-2 hole against Vegas.
Playoff hockey isn't supposed to be boring.
The first two games of the Stanley Cup First Round series between the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights have been anything but dull. Game 1 saw plenty of end-to-end action while Game 2 resembled two heavyweight fighters going at it for three periods. If big boy hockey is your thing, both teams provided plenty of it.
Coming into Wednesday's contest, the Stars ranked 31st in the NHL in hits, averaging 17.6 per game. It isn't their nature to throw their weight around and play a physical style.
After the game, however, the stat sheet showed a whopping 53 hits, just two less than Vegas, who was second in the league with a 24.61 average per game.
If the Stars were hoping an increased physical presence would generate more offense, they came away disappointed after a 3-1 loss that put them in a 0-2 hole as the series heads to Vegas on Saturday.
"I liked the fact that both teams were physically engaged, Stars coach Pete DeBoer said after the game. "I didn't think it hurt our game, other than we lost some bodies."
The players DeBoer was referring to were forwards Mason Marchment and Radek Faksa, who both left in the third period with injuries. Marchment, who ranked third on the team with 108 hits during the regular season, set the physical tone early with a crushing hit on Vegas defenseman Zach Whitecloud behind the net. Later, Jason Robertson delivered a vicious hit to forward and captain Mark Stone at the blueline, much to the delight of the American Airlines Center crowd.
Stars forward Tyler Seguin had a slightly different take on the hard-hitting style of play.
"Maybe we're hitting too much, maybe we need to go for pucks more," Seguin said. "We'll take a look at it."
The strategy appeared to pay off in the first period. Robertson, who had a goal in Game 1, got the Stars on the board first with a power play goal from the top of the right circle at the 16:47 mark. Dallas outshot the Golden Knights 11-6 in the period, had 24 shot attempts to Vegas's 14 and won the quality scoring chance battle 9-4.
But a critical mistake turned the game on its head later in the period. After a Faksa turnover, Jonathan Marchessault scored on a 2-on-1 backdoor rush on a beautiful pass from Jack Eichel, tying the game 1-1 at 18:09.
"That was probably (a) momentum swing," DeBoer said. "We gotta find a way to score 5-on-5."
Both defenses tightened up early in the second period, registering only three shots on goal combined through the midway point. Vegas gradually took control of the game, and defenseman Noah Hanifin put them ahead 2-1 at 18:53 with a wrister from the left dot that found its way below the glove of Jake Oettinger.
That was all the defending Stanley Cup champions would need, although Oettinger prevented the game from getting out of hand with several spectacular saves.
Vegas goalie Logan Thompson was just as unyielding. Eichel added an empty-net goal for insurance with 34 seconds left in the third, after the Stars pulled Oettinger for the sixth attacker.
The Golden Knights held Dallas to 11 shots on goal over the final two periods while getting 11 of their own. The hits ended up being in Vegas's favor 55-53.
"It's the playoffs," Robertson said. "Everyone's getting a lick in... It's a physical game out there, and no one's shying away from it. Guys are taking hits to make plays. That's what you need to do in the playoffs."
Will the effects of physical play from Game 2 help or hurt the Stars going forward? It's almost inconceivable to think they can withstand that kind of pounding the rest of the series, which shifts to T-Mobile Arena in Vegas for Game 3 Saturday.
Perhaps Seguin is right; it might be smarter to spend more energy going after pucks than pancaking their opponents. The offense, which finished the regular season third in scoring with a 3.59 goals per game average, has only managed four in two games. As brilliant as Oettinger was in Game 2, Thompson has been better in both contests.
The Stars had the best regular-season road record in the NHL at 26-10-5, setting a franchise record for road victories in a season. Vegas's home record of 27-12-2 was sixth-best. Plus, they're playing like the Stanley Cup champions they are, particularly after getting Stone and William Carrier back from the long-term injured list (LTIR).
Responding to adversity is something the Stars are familiar with. Now, they have to prove they can rise to the occasion once again and keep from falling behind 3-0 in the series, an almost insurmountable hill to climb.
"They found a way to win both those games," DeBoer said. "We've been the best road team in the league. We gotta go in there and win."
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