Stars forward Ty Dellandrea scores twice in 1:27 to give Dallas a 4-2 victory to extend series against Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights once again failed to close out the series with a 4-2 overtime loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final on Saturday.
Adin Hill made 30 saves. Chandler Stephenson and Ivan Barbashev scored.
Stephenson tallied his eighth goal, which is tied for a Vegas franchise record for goals in a single playoffs with Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson.
“I don’t think we played a full 60 minutes,” Vegas defenseman Alec Martinez said. “There was a lot of different things. They were hungrier. They won their battles.
“We’re playing a desperate hockey team, and no one said it would be easy. We have to match their urgency and desperation.”
Analysis
Ty Dellandrea scored twice in a 1:27 to seal the deal for the Stars. He was a healthy scratch for the first two games of the series.
The Golden Knights once again failed to match the urgency of the desperate Stars. Vegas committed 24 giveaways and struggled to withstand Dallas's forecheck.
“I’m not sure you’re beating the Arizona Coyotes in January with 24 giveaways. No offense to Arizona.” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It’s not the right way to play. We’re trying to go the Stanley Cup Final against a desperate team. To me, it’s the whole game right there. That falls under urgency. You’re not making the right decision with the puck. Or you’re not supporting it well. It starts right there. That’s the first thing we got to correct.”
Now the series takes a trip back to Dallas, where Stars captain Jamie Benn returns from his suspension and a raucous crowd will be expected.
If there wasn’t much urgency before Game 5, then the bar is approaching must-win territory in Game 6, as a potential Game 7 against Pete DeBoer (undefeated in Game 7s) and a surging Dallas team might spell doom for the Golden Knights and any Stanley Cup aspirations.
On a positive note, the Golden Knights have not played their best hockey in the past two games and have been in the game for both outings. That’s a silver lining, if there is any to be found right now.
“I don’t think we’ve brought our best in the last two games, and we’ve still been in a good spot to win the game,” Vegas captain Mark Stone said. “We need to bring a little bit better effort and start playing a little more desperate with a chance to wrap it up."
Shining Knight of the Game
Once again, Hill gave the Golden Knights an opportunity to win. He made timely saves in critical moments with the only lapses being on Dellandrea’s two goals.
“He’s been awesome ever since he’s been in there,” Martinez said. “He’s kept us in games even the last game in Dallas. He gave us an opportunity to win. He did the same tonight. He’s been one of our best players, if not the best.”
Up Next
The Golden Knights and Stars will meet for Game 6 at 5 p.m. at American Airlines Center on Monday.
Vegas is up 3-2 and will look to once again book a trip to the Stanley Cup Final.
“There’s a group of guys who have been here and done this twice,” Cassidy said. “So, they should know the urgency it takes to get the next phase of this – the finals. There’s a little bit of us pushing one another.”