Global Courant 2023-05-30 10:14:12
William Karlsson scored two goals and had an assist to help the Vegas Golden Knights advance to their second Stanley Cup Final with a 6-0 loss to the Dallas Stars, who extended the Western Conference Finals to six games after winning the first three lost. .
William Carrier, Keegan Kolesar and Michael Amadio each recorded a goal and an assist for the Knights, while Jonathan Marchessault scored one goal. Carrier, Marchessault and Karlsson were all part of the 2017–18 inaugural Knights season which ended in their cup final.
Adin Hill stopped 23 shots for his second career playoff shutout – both occurred against the Stars during this series as he went 4-0 in Game 3 last Tuesday. The Knights were already one win from clinching the series before Dallas overcame deficits 1-0 and 2-1 in both Games 4 and 5.
The Knights take on the Florida Panthers in Las Vegas on Saturday night to kick off the Stanley Cup Finals.
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Jonathan Marchessault #81 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during Game Six of the Western Conference Final of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images)
Vegas led the Western Conference in the regular season with 51 wins and 111 points. The Panthers completed a four-game sweep of Carolina in the East Final last Wednesday, but their regular-season 40 wins and 92 points were the fewest of 16 teams to enter the NHL playoffs this season.
Instead of having to play a do-or-die Game 7 at home against the Stars, coach Bruce Cassidy and the Knights got off to another fast start and never left any doubts about the outcome of this three-overtime series.
The Stars regained captain Jamie Benn following his two-game suspension for a cross-check to the neck of Vegas captain Mark Stone early in Game 3, but Benn was already rated minus-2 without a shot after playing just 3:46 in the first period.
Vegas secured the lead when Carrier scored 3:41 into the game after a puck from behind the net poked near three Dallas players. Carrier skated across the front of the crease and put a backhander into the net, the Knights’ ninth goal this postseason in the first five minutes of a game.
Karlsson’s power play goal midway through the first period made it 2-0, and after a penalty kick probably prevented him from scoring.
Vegas Golden Knights center Ivan Barbashev celebrates after scoring a goal during the second period of Game 6 of the NHL Stanley Cup Western Conference Finals against the Dallas Stars. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
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Nicolas Roy took a shot that ricocheted off Jake Oettinger’s glove and popped up in the air behind the keeper. Karlsson charged into the crease as Stars defenseman Esa Lindell raised his stick and knocked the puck out of play, earning a penalty for delay of play.
With the man advantage, Reilly Smith took a shot from the circle to the left, which was deflected forward by Roy and then off Oettinger’s extended skate before Karlsson knocked on the rebound.
After Kolesar made it 3-0 in the first and Marchessault scored his ninth goal in the second, Karlsson’s 10th goal of this playoff – a franchise record – extended the lead to 5-0 just two minutes into the third period.
Oettinger was 3-0 as the Stars faced elimination this postseason, including in the second round of Game 7 against Seattle, before stopping 64 of 68 shots in the past two games against the Knights.
That was after Vegas scored three goals on five shots in the opening 7:10 to propel him out of Game 3, the only lopsided game in the series through to the Finals. Two of their three regular season games went to shootouts.
Michael Amadio #22 of the Vegas Golden Knights celebrates off the bench after scoring a goal during the third period against the Dallas Stars in Game Six of the Western Conference Final of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
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Dallas was only the fifth team to force a Game 6 in a conference final or NHL semifinal after trailing 0-3, and the first since the Stars lost to Detroit in a sixth game in 2008. Only two teams reached a Game 7, and lost both – the New York Islanders to Philadelphia in 1975; and the New York Rangers to Boston in 1939.
Vegas avoided a Game 7 at home against the Stars and former coach Peter DeBoer, who is 7-0 in do-or-die games, including the Seattle series finale two weeks ago.
DeBoer coached Vegas for his only Game 7 wins – in the second round in 2020 against Vancouver and in the first round in 2021 against Minnesota, but he was fired by the Golden Knights after losing for the only time in their lives last season missed the playoffs. short existence.
