Dallas Stars: 3 takeaways from Game 1 win over Golden Knights
It wasn’t pretty, but the Dallas Stars shutout the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 1 to win 1-0.
The Dallas Stars managed to pull out a huge Game 1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday, beating them 1-0. For the first time this postseason, Vegas looked quite mortal. Perhaps the hangover from their emotional Game 7 victory on Friday had something to do with it. But regardless, the Stars now have a 1-0 series lead.
It wasn’t the game everyone was expecting. People were probably expecting a more high-scoring affair. But this is 2020, so of course, that didn’t happen. Instead, we saw a defensive showdown from the Stars.
Let’s take a look at three takeaways from Game 1.
3. Flipping The Script Again
For most of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Dallas Stars showed a new side of their team by becoming offensive juggernauts. They were able to win two high-scoring series against the Calgary Flames and Colorado Avalanche.
Heading into Game 1, the Stars were averaging 3.31 goals per game, the fourth-highest rate in the postseason. For a team that averaged just 2.58 goals per game during the regular season (sixth-lowest in the NHL), that’s quite a dramatic change. They won in the regular season by focusing on defense.
In Game 1, the Dallas Stars got back to their roots by shutting down the Golden Knights. They held Vegas to just 25 shots on goal, which is the fewest the Knights have had all postseason. Vegas has been relentless on offense all postseason with their speed and depth and Dallas did an incredible job limiting them.
Even their underlying stats were impressive. The Stars out-chanced the Golden Knights 28 to 15 and had nine high-danger chances while allowing just five. They also had 51 shot attempts compared to Vegas’ 48. Dallas made the most of their shot attempts and did a terrific job of keeping Vegas from getting quality chances.
It remains to be seen if the Stars will be able to limit the Golden Knights for the rest of the series, but Game 1 was certainly very encouraging.