- Dallas Stars are in the Stanley Cup Finals.
- They defeated the Vegas Golden Knights after an OT, 3-2.
- After five games, Dallas eliminated one of the biggest candidates for the trophy.
Stars Win After Two Overtimes
Denis Guryanov bought a ticket for the Staley Cup finals for both him and his teammates once scoring a game-winner in the OT of last night’s clash.
The Russian forward sent a ferocious one-timer following John Klingberg’s pass to capitalize on the power-play situation and seal the win of his side.
“It’s a feeling you can’t describe,” Stars’ head coach Rick Bowness said. “… You only get so many cracks at going to the Stanley Cup Final. You’ve got to take advantage of it.”
It was a tough battle between the Stars and the Golden Knights last night. In the end, the franchise from Texas was on the winning side, but we need to say that even if Vegas won, it definitely wouldn’t be unfair.
They had a two-goal lead, and everything in their hands had until the middle of the third period. That is when Stars comeback kicked in. At first, Jemie Benn decreased the gap with 9:54 into the period, sparking his entire team to shift into a higher gear.
Joel Kiviranta tied the score with 3:47 to go, also during a power-play, reacting fast and sending a loose puck into the net.
After that, it was back and forth for both teams who were very nervous. Still, the swing was on Dallas’ side, as they had nothing to lose. Meanwhile, the pressure was too high for the Knights, who were already with the backs against the wall, and in the meantime, managed to waste what should be a certain triumph.
Golden Knights Fail to Deliver
The No.1 seed in the West lost all four games with a one-goal margin. They were the biggest favorites for winning the Stanely Cup trophy, but again fell short of achieving so.
“We were right there. It’s a very slim margin. We just couldn’t get a timely goal in order to put us in a position to be on the right side of that ledger,” Vegas’ head coach Peter DeBoer stated disappointingly following the contest.
Golden Knights took the lead at 8:14 of the first with Shea Theodore assisting Chandler Stephenson, while Reilly Smith doubled it just 15 seconds into the final frame.
At that point, Vegas looked as if they had control over the ice. But once again, we saw that NHL playoffs provide unexpected scenarios, which is the main reason why everyone loves them.
Dallas is going to the finals for the first time since 2000, once they lost to New Jersey Devils 4-2. Stars were on the verge of winning back-to-back titles as they beat the Buffalo Sabres the year before also 4-2.
After that, the best result was in the 2007/08 season, once they reached the Conference finals, beating the Anaheim Ducks and San Jose Sharks before losing to Detroit Red Wings.
