Vegas Golden Knights: Top 3 reasons they can beat the Dallas Stars
The Vegas Golden Knights have what it takes to get past the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.
After nearly blowing a 3-1 lead to the Vancouver Canucks, the Vegas Golden Knights proved to be too much for the Canucks to handle in Game 7 of their second round series, as they won 3-0. For the second time in franchise history, the Knights are in the Western Conference Final, where they’ll face the Dallas Stars, who nearly blew a 3-1 lead of their own.
The Stars are no pushover. Though they struggled during the Western Conference round-robin tournament and right before the hiatus in mid-March, they’re a completely different team now. The Stars, remarkably, have gone from an all-defense team who tries to suppress offense as much as possible on both sides to being a flat-out offensive juggernaut.
This Western Conference Final should be a very entertaining one. Few teams have been more exciting this postseason than the Golden Knights and the Stars. However, it’s Vegas who has the clear upper hand in this matchup. Here are three reasons why the Golden Knights are favorites to return to the Stanley Cup Final after a one-year hiatus.
Goaltending
Trading for Robin Lehner was a brilliant move for the Vegas Golden Knights. Marc-Andre Fleury was having a down year and the Golden Knights want to win now, so they made the trade for Lehner. Now they have two proven netminders who can carry the load in the postseason.
Lehner, AKA “Kung Fu Panda”, has been great so far in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In 12 games, he’s posted a .918% save percentage, including three shutouts. All three of those shutouts came against the Vancouver Canucks in the second round. Lehner also posted a .934% save percentage in that series.
The Golden Knights don’t let Lehner get tested too much, which is a testament to how good they are defensively. But when he gets tested, he’s more often than not stepped up in a big way. The Stars present a unique challenge to Vegas, but with Lehner in net, they have a great chance of overcoming the challenge.
2. Top Talent
It’s hard to win in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when your best players aren’t producing. Having a top line that can consistently produce is key. The Vegas Golden Knights have two top lines, which should give the Stars a lot of problems.
Leading their real top line is Mark Stone, who has 15 points in 15 games. But his value goes far beyond filling score sheets. Stone is committed to two-way excellence and the Golden Knights have been outstanding with him on the ice. With Stone on the ice at even strength, Vegas is controlling over 60% of the goals, expected goals, shot attempts, and shots on goal.
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William Karlsson and Max Pacioretty form the other two-thirds on the top line. Opponents have had a very hard time doing anything against Vegas with Stone, Pacioretty, and Karlsson on the ice. They have 31 points combined in 15 games, which is simply insane.
Paul Stastny, Reilly Smith, and Jonathan Marchessault form the second line for the Vegas Golden Knights, though it would be the top line on most teams. In 13 games together this postseason, they’re outscoring their opponents 5-3 at even strength and are outshooting their opponents by a good margin. The trio has a combined 27 points so far.
Defensively, the Vegas Golden Knights rely a lot on Shea Theodore and it’s easy to see why. He’s been fabulous so far and is firmly in the Conn Smythe Trophy conversation. Theodore leads the Golden Knights with 16 points. The Golden Knights also lean on Nate Schmidt, who has eight points in 15 games while controlling possession.
Vegas has a huge advantage over Dallas as for as their top four defensemen and top six forwards. It’s an advantage that’s going to be even harder for Dallas to overcome because of the depth Vegas has. Speaking of which….
1. Depth
The Vegas Golden Knights have a great top of their lineup, but their depth throughout their lineup is why they’ve been so dominant this postseason. At even strength, the Golden Knights have outshot their opponents 463 to 298. When you look at scoring chances, Vegas leads 431 to 283. That’s because of their depth.
Vegas has four lines capable of hemming teams deep in their own zone and possessing the puck. They might lack true elite talent other than Stone, but when you have the puck as much as the Golden Knights do, it’s very hard to lose.
Even with the Golden Knights have lost, they’ve looked great, outshooting their opponents in each game by a comfortable margin even after adjusting for the score. The Golden Knights make you work hard to win.
While the Dallas Stars have gotten some significant contributions from their bottom six forwards, going against the Vegas Golden Knights is going to give them headaches. Against the Colorado Avalanche, they were able to create rush chances. That likely isn’t happening against the Golden Knights, who prefer to cycle in the offensive zone, effectively playing Monkey In The Middle with the puck, with their opponents serving as the monkeys.
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Anything can happen in the postseason. Maybe the Stars get outstanding goaltending like the Canucks got from Thatcher Demko. But all signs point to the Vegas Golden Knights being the better team and the most likely of the two teams to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.