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.
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.