Golden Knights blast Stars to sweep season series

Field Level Media|published: Sat 9th December, 18:51 2023

Dec 9, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) stops a breakaway shot by Vegas Golden Knights center William Karlsson (71) during the first period at the American Airlines Center. credits: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Mark Stone was one of four Vegas players with a goal and an assist, and one of six different to score, as the visiting Golden Knights won 6-1 on Saturday to sweep the three-game season series from the Dallas Stars.

Zach Whitecloud, Paul Cotter and Nicholas Roy also recorded one of each, while Logan Thompson stopped 19 shots for the Golden Knights, who recorded their NHL-leading 41st point while improving to 4-0-3 in the last seven games. Chandler Stephenson and Pavel Dorofeyev also scored for Vegas, which has totaled 25 goals in the last six contests.

Meanwhile, Evgenii Dadonov had a goal and Jake Oettinger managed 21 saves for Dallas, which dropped its third in four games while playing without star Roope Hintz, who was a late scratch due to illness. It's been a rough stretch for Oettinger, who has yielded 15 goals in losing three straight starts.

These teams combined for eight goals in the first two season meetings, which needed a shootout and overtime to go in Vegas' favor. On Saturday, they recorded half that goal total in the first period.

The Golden Knights got the first two, opening the scoring just 2:24 in, when Stephenson snapped a 20-game goal drought by backhanding home a rebound of Whitecloud's shot. A little more than four minutes later, Whitecloud sent in a wrister from the low slot.

Dallas got a goal back when Dadonov put home the rebound of Jamie Benn's shot, which went off Thompson's glove with 9:53 remaining in the first. However, the Stars gave back that goal with 5:02 in the opening frame when Stone's shot was blocked by Dallas' Thomas Harley. But it came right back to the Golden Knights' captain to bury for a 3-1 lead.

With 4:59 remaining in the second, and following an own-zone Stars' turnover, Stone sent the puck over for Roy to beat Oettinger on the glove side.

Vegas added two more in the third. Just 2:11 into the period, Dorofeyev converted William Karlsson's nifty no-look backhand pass from across the crease. Cotter pushed in his own backhand attempt with 10:45 to play.

—Field Level Media

Latest