Stars Hold Off Golden Knights in Game Five to Push Vegas to Brink of Elimination
The reigning Stanley Cup champion Las Vegas Golden Knights entered their first two home playoff games with the opportunity to seize control of the series after taking Games One and Two away from the Dallas Stars. However, the Stars returned the favor in Games Three and Four by winning the next two games in Vegas to even the series at 2-2. Having said that, the Stars and Golden Knights went into Game Five aiming to move one step closer to the second round of the Western Conference playoffs. Throughout NHL history, 78.9% of the time (348–93), the team that prevails in Game Five in a best-of-seven playoff series advances. In an attempt to recapture the success of last postseason, where Adin Hill took over in the second round against the Oilers and helped lead the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup, Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy decided to switch up the starting lineup and insert Hill as the starting goalie after starting goaltender Logan Thompson in the first four games of the series. In an exciting game that featured several scoring chances for both sides, the Stars emerged victorious in Game Five, 3-2, despite being outshot 27-25 and outhit 47-34.
After Stars defenseman Miro Heiskanen was given a holding penalty three minutes into the first period, the Golden Knights went on the power play. In the center of the offensive zone, Vegas captain Mark Stone deflected a shot from Noah Hanifin and it went past Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, giving the Knights a 1-0 lead just nine seconds into the man-advantage. Only 62 seconds later, at 5:02, Logan Stankoven and Evgenii Dadonov generated a 2-on-1 opportunity, and Dadonov slapped in the puck past an extended Hill near the right post to tie the game at 1-1. The Stars would earn their first power play opportunity halfway through the period when Vegas winger William Carrier was called for tripping. With 29 seconds left on the 5-on-4, Wyatt Johnston's shot was deflected into the goal by Matt Duchene to give Dallas their first lead of the game at 2-1. With 7:29 remaining in the first period, Carrier scored his first goal of the series while skating down the boards with the puck, going behind the net, and slipping the puck past Oettinger's left pad to tie the score at two.
The two teams would not score much in the second period; with 3:28 left in the frame, the Stars scored their only goal to retake the lead 3-2. This came after they had gone on the power play for the third time in the game, with Jason Robertson finding space to shoot a rebound into the net. The Golden Knights would apply pressure on the Stars defense in the third period aiming to score the equalizing goal. Chandler Stephenson, a center for Vegas, had a breakaway opportunity with less than three minutes left, but he was unable to get the puck past Oettinger, who used his right pad to prevent Stephenson's attempt to score. The Golden Knights pulled Hill, but despite having many opportunities with the extra attacker, they were unable to score the game's tying goal. The Stars would hold on to win 3-2 to take a 3-2 lead in the series and become the first team to win a game on home ice in the series. On Friday night, the series will return to Las Vegas as the Knights attempt to save their season.
