Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Keys to a Golden Knights victory against Dallas, sponsored by Credit One

Golden Knights at Dallas

Brandon Wade / Associated Press

Vegas Golden Knights forward Max Pacioretty (67) battles Dallas Stars goaltender Ben Bishop (30) and defenseman Roman Polak (45) for a rebound during the second period of an NHL hockey game Friday, Dec. 13, 2019, in Dallas.

The Golden Knights begin the postseason at 3:30 p.m. today against the Dallas Stars in the first of three round-robin games to determine seeding for the Round of 16.

It is Vegas’ first non-exhibition game since the season was paused in mid-March because of the pandemic. AT&T SportsNet will televise the game.

Here are three Golden Knights keys to victory, sponsored by Credit One.

Break down the Stars’ defense

Dallas is one of the stingiest teams in the league in giving up just 2.52 goals per game — best in the Western Conference. Defenseman Miro Heiskanen is a future star if you don’t consider him one already, and goalie Ben Bishop is one year removed from being the runner-up to the Vezina Trophy, the third time he’s been a finalist for the award. Dallas also needs to be creative offensively as it averages 2.58 goals per game, which is fourth-worst in the conference. If the Golden Knights can break through with a few tallies, the Stars’ offense may not be good enough to mount a comeback.

Win the foot race

So how does Vegas get around the Dallas defense? Speed. In the first period of the exhibition game against the Coyotes on Thursday, the Golden Knights had three odd-man rushes, including a short-handed goal. That’s nightmare for a goalie — even someone as good as Bishop. The Golden Knights are built at a fast pace, with William Karlsson and Chandler Stephenson on the top line, and Reilly Smith and Alex Tuch further down, all players who find themselves on a breakaway with regularity.

Repress the Stars’ best scorers

The Stars’ Tyler Seguin had a down year to his standards, and it’s been a few years since Jamie Benn has been elite. But it wasn’t that long ago that they formed one of the best offensive duos in the NHL, meaning they’ll surely be on Vegas’ radar. If the Golden Knights can keep Seguin and Benn in check, they’ll have a great chance to win. Seguin was “unfit to play” in the Stars’ exhibition, but if he’s on the ice, he’ll be the Stars’ biggest threat — after all, even in a down year, he managed 50 points in a shortened season.

Justin Emerson can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Justin on Twitter at twitter.com/@j15emerson.