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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
The narrative was that the Dallas Stars would come out flying for their Game 3 showdown with the VGK, but it was the visiting Knights that scored three times in the first 7:10 for a 3-0 lead and knocked out the Stars goalie, Jake Oettinger.
Dallas coach Pete DeBoer pulled Oettinger after Knights goals by Jonathan Marchessault, Ivan Barbashev and William Carrier.
And it went downhill from there for the Stars.
In period two, Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo scored on a wrist shot that found its way around a gaggle of players bunched in front of the Dallas net and Vegas led the Stars, 4-0, after two periods.
Frustration spilled over with Stars players taking dumb penalties and Dallas fans pelting the ice with popcorn and debris. The Knights are on the brink of reaching their second Stanley Cup Final in their six seasons with a 3-0 lead in the conference final series.
Just a minute or two into Game 3, Vegas seized control of the game after Dallas captain Jamie Benn was whistled for a horrible and idiotic five-minute crosscheck major for pushing his stick on Mark Stone’s jaw while the VGK captain was down on the ice not even two minutes into the game.
The Knights cashed in with a Barbashev power play goal.
Dallas hit two posts behind VGK goalie Adin Hill, but came up scoreless after the first 20 minutes.
After one period: Vegas 3 Dallas 0
The Knights have a 2-0 lead in the Best-of-7 Western Conference Finals.
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Even with all the hype around the Vegas Golden Knights earning their fourth NHL Final Four postseason in six seasons, the fact remains the Knights have not won a league title and lost twice as semifinalist favorites against Dallas in the COVID Bubble in 2020 and against Montreal after the amended 56-game season in 2021.
This time in 2023, Knights players are hopeful they can crack through the barrier and deliver on owner Bill Foley’s declaration of Stanley Cup in six seasons.
Defensemen Alec Martinez and Alex Pietrangelo and forward Ivan Barbashev have their names engraved on the Cup and team captain Mark Stone said he doesn’t need to deliver a message to the locker room because there are other experienced players like Martinez and Pietrangelo with Stanley Cup championships on their resume.
Stone expects Dallas to give Vegas its best game in Game 3 after losing twice in overtime at T-Mobile Arena.
“We crowd will be amped up,” Stone said on Monday before the time boarded a jet flight for Texas.
The VGK did not stray far for their “official” Game 3 watch party. The team is working with Downtown Summerlin, which is the home for the VGK headquarters and training center, to stage the watch party at The Lawn where the suburban shopping district holds festivals and yoga sessions.
First photo is two hours before puck drop. Then a photo during the second period when the Knights were enjoying a 4-0 lead.