After dropping the first two games of the series on home ice, the Dallas Stars kept their hopes alive by taking the third game in overtime on the road against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The defending Stanley Cup champions may not have looked like themselves for most of this season, as they struggled early on and ultimately only made the playoff field as a wild card, but they quickly showed why nobody wanted to draw them in their first round series against the Stars, a popular Cup favorite pick.
The Golden Knights went on the road to Dallas and took the first two games of the series from the Stars with their stifling defense and timely goaltending and scoring.
RELATED ARTICLE: NHL Playoffs First Round Preview: Golden Knights Start Title Defense Against Loaded Stars
Dallas Stars Make it a Series
Dallas was able to flip that script in Vegas on Saturday night, jumping on the Golden Knights early in the game and taking a 2-0 lead while thoroughly dominating them up and down the ice.
Wyatt Johnston and Miro Heiskanen both scored their first goals of the series to give them that lead, but Vegas clawed back with goals from Brayden McNabb and Jack Eichel to tie things up in the second.
Neither team was able to find the back of the net at all in the third period, but Johnston picked up his second tally of the night 16 minutes into the overtime period to give the Stars a lifeline back into the series.
The undersized 20-year-old phenom has been a massive contributor to the Stars all season, and performances like this one have him looking like a bonafide future star in the league.
Jake Oettinger also needed a positive night in net, and he got one in this game. The Stars American has been a huge factor in his team's playoff success in his young career, but he wasn't up to his usual standards for most of this season.
For Vegas, the Knights are still in good position in this series with an opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 lead on home ice in Game 4.
READ MORE: NHL Playoff Reaction: Rangers, Panthers Extend Series Leads
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
