Vegas plays its best game of the playoffs in 6-0 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.
The Vegas Golden Knights booked its trip to the Stanley Cup Final with a 6-0 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals.
They will face the Florida Panthers in the finals, which begin Saturday in Las Vegas.
William Karlsson had two goals and an assist, while William Carrier scored and tallied an assist. Jonathan Marchessault, Keegan Kolesar and Michael Amadio also scored. Adin Hill made 23 saves for his second career NHL Stanely Cup Playoff shutout.
"It's a great feeling to finally clinch that final spot," Karlsson said.
Analysis
It seemed that right from the jump that the Golden Knights were the better team. Their forecheck pressure and puck management was better than it had been in Games 4 and 5.
The early goals from Carrier, Karlsson and Keegan Kolesar put the game pretty much out of reach in the first period. Unlike the last two games, the Golden Knights didn’t give the Stars any chance to forge a comeback and kept the pressure on, showing a distinct killer instinct that is needed for a potential Stanley Cup winner.
"You don't want to let a team off the mat," Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. "We were up 3-0, there was some chatter about that, so we wanted to make sure we took care of business. Once we did get the lead, I thought we did a great job of staying focused on what was in front of us."
It was a perfect elimination game played by the Golden Knights and probably was the best game of the postseason coming at the perfect time. The team’s depth came as 10 players found the scoresheet in a vintage “no-passengers” game from Vegas.
"Most definitely our best game of the playoffs, and it came at the right time," Cassidy said. "You never know when it's going to happen, you always want to keep building. Boy, if we can bottle that going forward, we'll be a tough team to beat."
Shining Knight of the Game
Karlsson was outstanding on both ends of the ice but his two goals and assist will be the things that stand out.
He now has 10 goals in this postseason, which is a new Vegas franchise record for most goals in a single playoff.
Up Next
The Golden Knights and Panthers will meet for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday.
The teams split the season series with each team winning their home game.
"They're a real fast team. Their goalie's been playing really well," Vegas forward Jack Eichel said. "Obviously, they're playing some of their best hockey right now, too, so they've got some good players up front, some high-end talent, and they're tough to play against. So we know it's going to be a heck of a battle, and we'll be ready to go."