Global Courant 2023-05-24 08:09:43
The Vegas Golden Knights kept their cool and got the best payback after an ugly hit early against their captain.
They have a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference finals and are now just one win away from another Stanley Cup final.
Ivan Barbashev scored a power play goal after Dallas Stars captain Jamie Benn was ejected for his hit on Mark Stone less than two minutes into the game. That was the second of three goals the Golden Knights scored in the first 7 1/2 minutes, leading to an exit for goaltender Jake Oettinger as they won 4-0 in Game 3 in Dallas on Tuesday night.
“Keep your cool,” said Alex Pietrangelo, who added a goal midway through the second period.
After the two captains collided at the blue line and Stone fell to the ice, Benn lunged forward with both hands on his stick and made contact at Stone’s neck as he slid down the center line.
“We are angry when we see that, he is our captain,” said national coach Bruce Cassidy. “But at the end of the day they make a call which gives us the chance to make them pay the fine. And we did with one goal anyway, so we doubled our lead. … Do it the right way. That’s always been our mindset.”
49 is doing fine pic.twitter.com/VO4ayfoOJ5
While Oettinger had the shortest start of his career, Vegas goaltender Adin Hill stopped 34 shots in his first career postseason shutout.
After four consecutive comeback wins in these playoffs, including two overtime wins at home to start the best-of-seven series, the Golden Knights were in control all along in this one.
Game 4 is Thursday night, when Vegas will have a chance to advance to the second Stanley Cup Final in the franchise’s six seasons.
The Golden Knights were Western Conference champions during their inaugural 2017–18 season, then lost the Cup Final in five games after winning the opener against the Washington Capitals. Vegas missed the playoffs for the only time last season, before head coach Pete DeBoer was fired before becoming the Stars coach.
‘We have to live with the consequences’
Johnathan Marchessault scored just 71 seconds into the game, which was only 42 seconds before Benn was judged on a misspelling for cross-checking after a five-minute major.
“Let’s put it this way. He made a mistake. He feels very bad about it. I don’t think anyone in the building feels worse than he does,” DeBoer said. “I’m not going to push through, he’s been a leader here all his career and leads every day on and off the ice. … Luckily Mark Stone is fine, and we have to live with the consequences.”
The Stars played the final remainder of the game without Benn, who could also receive an NHL suspension after the league reviews the game.
Jamie Benn got a 5 minute major for this play pic.twitter.com/NZESKh2JtL
Just before Benn’s early departure, he had a wrist that was restrained by Hill, but was initially still loose under the goalkeeper when Benn tried to get his stick back on.
Barbashev’s goal, who later had two assists, was one of only three shots the Knights got to the net during the five-minute penalty. His 30-foot pulse for a 2-0 lead came after Ty Dellandrea’s short break was blocked. Nicolas Roy picked up the rebound the other way and passed to Barbashev.
“What goes unnoticed there is the save by Adin Hill on shorthand 2-on-1… and we come down and score,” said Cassidy. “That 15 seconds of hockey is a huge impact of the game.”
Oettinger was pulled and replaced by Scott Wedgewood after William Carrier’s backhander made it 3-0 with 12:50 left in the first period.
YOU HAVE MAIL (it’s in the back of the net) pic.twitter.com/M3klMo3E6d
The 24-year-old Oettinger has now lost three starts in a row. He has lost four of five, the win being when he made 22 saves for the Stars in their 2-1 win in Game 7 of the Western Semifinal against Seattle.
Wedgewood stopped 10 of 11 shots, with Pietrangelo’s goal coming just a second after the end of a power play as Miro Heiskanen came out of the box.
‘I’ve never seen so much stuff on the ice’
Star center Max Domi got a spelling error with 21 seconds left in the second period. After his cross-check against Nicolas Hague, Domi started throwing punches.
“I think you know exactly what was discussed,” Hague said when asked what led up to that incident. “There’s no reason for me to get involved in anything. It is what it is, and we got a big win.”
Fans in the arena reacted to the ensuing penalty by throwing water bottles, food and other objects onto the ice. With more time needed to clear the field of play, officials sent both teams to their dressing rooms early for the second break with the Knights leading 4–0.
Those final 21 seconds were played after the intermission before the clock was set to 20 minutes for the third period.
“It was kind of weird,” Hill said. “I’ve never seen so many things on the ice, that’s for sure.”
Teddy Blueger (53) of the Golden Knights helps clear the ice after fans threw debris in the second period. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
