Stanley Cup Playoffs: Golden Knights vs Stars Game 6 Preview

As the Florida Panthers await, the Vegas Golden Knights can potentially punch their ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals on Monday night as they hit the road to visit the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals at American Airlines Arena. The puck is scheduled to drop at 8 PM ET. The Golden Knights currently lead the series 3-2 but did lose back-to-back games, which has made things very interesting.

Can Vegas Close Out?

The Golden Knights appeared to be in cruise control in this series with a 3-0 stranglehold. But, things have taken a turn for the worst. Vegas lost Game 4 on Thursday 3-2 in overtime down in Texas before dropping Game 5 4-2 over the weekend at home.

Ivan Barbashev got the hosts on the board early but from there, it was essentially all downhill. The Stars soon tied it up before Chandler Stephenson put the Knights up 2-1. However, the visitors followed with three unanswered goals as netminder Adin Hill conceded four in total, easily his worst game of these playoffs since taking over as the starter.

Noise-cancelling headphones are on 🎧

📓 @garylawless https://t.co/F1GeRa0zN4

— z - Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 28, 2023

This is the first time in the postseason Bruce Cassidy’s squad has lost two games in a row, having taken out the Winnipeg Jets in five games in the opening round and then beating the Edmonton Oilers in six in the second round. There should definitely be a sense of urgency here, even though Game 7 would technically be back in Vegas.

Surprisingly enough, most NHL sportsbooks have had the Golden Knights as underdogs for nearly every game in this series, even though they’ve been dominant until Game 4 rolled around. If you do plan to bet on Vegas to finally close out Dallas, it’s certainly a decent bet. Very hard to imagine such a fantastic team losing three straight in the heat of the playoffs.

Dallas on The Brink of History

The last time a team overcame a 3-0 deficit was in 2014 when the Los Angeles Kings pulled off the unthinkable against the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference first round. While Dallas technically still has to win two more games, it’s a possibility they can become the next team to rewrite history.

Honestly, the Stars’ own fans even wrote them off. The supporters made an absolute scene in Game 3, throwing debris on the ice and embarrassing their own team after Jamie Benn’s dirty hit on Mark Stone. But, it appears Dallas took that personally and bounced back with authority. Without Benn, who is permitted to return in Game 6 after a two-game suspension, Peter DeBoer’s squad dug deep with the OT victory on Thursday before a convincing win Saturday. 

🌟 The emotions from Game 5 🌟 #StanleyCup

📺: @GoldenKnights vs. @DallasStars Game 6 tomorrow at 8p ET on @espn, @Sportsnet, and @TVASports pic.twitter.com/guSXJHsuTV

— NHL (@NHL) May 28, 2023

It was an unlikely hero in Vegas as center Ty Dellandrea scored twice, taking his tally to three goals in the playoffs. Better yet, both of them came in the third period, sealing the deal for the Stars and keeping their Cup hopes alive for at least one more night. This was a very clean, hard-fought game for Dallas, who committed just one penalty. That certainly put them in a good position to win.

The Stars are a -130 favorite at Bodog and have cashed in on the moneyline in the last two contests. Playing at home again, they will like their chances here, although Vegas is surely going to come out firing on all cylinders. 

Injury News

For Vegas, it’s the usual suspects sidelined in Robin Lehner, Laurent Brossoit, Nolan Patrick, and Logan Thompson. Dallas meanwhile has essentially a clean bill of health, with winger Evgenii Dadonov still questionable. He hasn’t played since Game 3 due to a lower-body injury.