The Dallas Stars finish up a three-game Western road trip on Friday night when they face the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights in Las Vegas.
It’s the first time the two teams have met since the first round of the Western Conference playoffs last spring. Dallas rallied from a 2-0 deficit to eliminate the defending champion Golden Knights in seven games.
“Last two years, it’s been tough games and big rivalries,” Dallas defenseman Nils Lundkvist said. “It’s an exciting place to play.”
The Stars have split the first two games on the trip, winning 2-1 over the Utah Hockey Club in Salt Lake City on Monday before blowing a 2-0 first-period lead in a 3-2 loss at the Los Angeles Kings on Wednesday. That snapped a three-game winning streak for Dallas.
Warren Foegele scored what proved to be the game-winner on a wraparound shot 2:22 into the third period to complete the comeback for the Kings. Dallas had outshot Los Angeles 11-4 during a dominating first period that featured a power-play goal by Wyatt Johnston and Mason Marchment’s fifth goal in six games. But the Kings rallied to tie it on second-period goals by Tanner Jeannot and Joel Edmundson, setting the stage for Foegele’s game-winner.
“Up two, it’s definitely a really good opportunity to win,” Johnston said. “Didn’t do a good enough job to keep playing and keep our pedal to the metal.”
Dallas, third in the Central Division, fell to just 6-7-0 on the road with the loss, but coach Peter DeBoer felt his team played well enough to win.
“They played better in the second period, but the shots were 7-7 and we hit a post or crossbar and one went in for them off our leg,” DeBoer said. “I think they were opportunistic, they got back into the game, but going into the third it’s an even game.”
Vegas has bounced back from the most lopsided home loss in franchise history — 6-0 to Utah on Saturday — to win two in a row, allowing just one goal in the process.
The Golden Knights blanked Edmonton 1-0 on Tuesday, with Adin Hill making 28 saves, and finished a back-to-back with a 4-1 victory at Anaheim on Wednesday, with Shea Theodore scoring twice and Ilya Samsonov stopping 19 of 20 shots.
“It’s that part of the season that games are tight and these points are crucial,” Theodore said. “You want to kind of bank them when you can. Obviously, we feel good about our game and like where it’s at.”
Samsonov, who heard his share of Bronx cheers after surrendering six goals in the first 25 1/2 minutes against Utah, bounced back to win his sixth game in 10 starts (6-3-1) while lowering his goals-against average to 3.16.
“Well, he needed it, right?” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy replied when asked about Samsonov’s performance. “Listen, he’s a good pro. He’s been in the league. You’re going to have games like that or stretches like that, so he probably needs to get a couple under his belt to feel good about his game. So, that’s one. Good for him.”
The Knights will receive a boost as captain Mark Stone is returning from a month-long absence to play in Friday’s game.
Stone, 32, has been sidelined since sustaining a lower-body injury in Vegas’ 4-2 win over the Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 6.
After Friday’s contest, Vegas has a five-day break before a three-game road trip to Winnipeg, Edmonton and Minnesota.
–Field Level Media
