Just four wins now stand between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Stanley Cup Final.
After finally figuring out a way to beat Thatcher Demko and the Vancouver Canucks in Game 7, the Vegas Golden Knights will battle the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final.
A place in the Stanley Cup Final awaits the winner of this series, and the Golden Knights or the Stars will go up against either the Tampa Bay Lightning and the New York Islanders.
This won’t be an easy series for the Golden Knights given that the Stars appear to be playing at the peak of their powers right now, and it all starts in Game 1 tonight.
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Let us get you ready with our ultimate preview…
The Skinny
It is starting to get real.
We are down to the final four teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and the Golden Knights will hope to be the last one standing.
They were expected to get here but they will have to tighten a few things up after being given an almighty scare by the Vancouver Canucks.
And they will need to be better against the Dallas Stars, who are an absolute offensive juggernaut right now.
While some will say that they didn’t expect the Stars to get this far, I disagree given the makeup of their roster.
Boasting the likes of Tyler Seguin, Jamie Benn, Alexander Radulov and stud defenseman Miro Heiskanen, the Stars added veterans Joe Pavelski and Corey Perry to an already strong core.
You don’t make those kind of moves unless you are a legit contender.
It has been a strange postseason for the Stars given that Seguin and Benn have been quiet for the most part, but they have a plethora of depth players that have really stepped up.
The likes of Denis Gurianov, Pavelski and Roope Hintz have provided offense when some of Dallas’ big hitters haven’t, while Heiskanen has been a revelation with 21 points (5 G, 16 A) in 16 games.
But, on the flip side, the likes of Seguin and Benn won’t stay quiet forever and the Golden Knights will have to be wary of that.
Also, while Ben Bishop is still rated as “Unfit To Play,” the Stars have got solid goaltending from Anton Khudobin, who has a 2.94 Goals Against Average and a .909 Save Percentage in 13 postseason starts.
For the Golden Knights, they will be favored going into Game 1 and they certainly have the weapons to get past the Stars.
But, as we saw in the Second Round against the Canucks, there are a couple of weaknesses there that can be exposed.
In saying that, however, the Golden Knights are an absolute juggernaut and they will be the team to beat in this series.
Robin Lehner looks to be the undisputed starter for the rest of the way after starting both Games 6 & 7 in a back-to-back against the Canucks.
This looks set to be a compelling series and, if we were putting some money down, we would bet that it is one that will go seven.
Speaking of betting…
Betting Odds
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You can bet on a wide-range of props and outcomes, and we suggest you stick with ACTION Network for all your betting needs for tonight’s game.
Streaming
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Projected Lineups
We’ll get this one out of the way first – expect Robin Lehner to get the start in Game 1.
He’s clearly the undisputed starter in the eyes of Golden Knights Head Coach Peter DeBoer, and that shouldn’t change anytime soon.
In terms of other lineup news, Ryan Reaves won’t be available for Game 1 tonight after being suspended for an illegal hit to the head of Vancouver Canucks forward Tyler Motte in Game 7.
In Reaves’ absence, expect Tomas Nosek to slot in on the fourth line with Nick Cousins coming back into the lineup and sliding in on the third-line after being a healthy scratch for Game 7 against the Canucks.
This is the Vegas Golden Knights Projected Lineup for Game 1 of the Western Conference Final, per nhl.com…
Max Pacioretty – William Karlsson – Mark Stone
Jonathan Marchessault – Paul Stastny – Reilly Smith
Nick Cousins – Nicolas Roy – Alex Tuch
William Carrier – Chandler Stephenson – Ryan Reaves
Robin Lehner
The Dallas Stars are still without starting netminder Ben Bishop, who is ruled as “Unfit To Play.”
However, the Stars have been getting solid goaltending from Anton Khudobin, and he will be the starter in Game 1.
Dallas have been relying on strength in numbers with a handful of their role players stepping up while stars have struggled.
They will need those depth players to continue produce in this series, while the likes of Tyler Seguin and Jamie Benn will have to elevate their games if the Stars are to punch their Stanley Cup Final ticket.
This is the Dallas Stars Projected Lineup for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, per nhl.com…
Jamie Benn – Tyler Seguin – Alexander Radulov
Mattias Janmark – Joe Pavelski – Denis Gurianov
Joel Kiviranta – Roope Hintz – Corey Perry
Jason Dickinson – Radek Faksa – Blake Comeau
Jamie Oleksiak – Miro Heiskanen
Anton Khudobin
Jake Oettinger
Team Leaders
Vegas Golden Knights Postseason Leaders
Shea Theodore: 16 points (6 G, 10 A)
Mark Stone: 15 points (6 G, 9 A)
Reilly Smith: 13 points (4 G, 9 A)
Alex Tuch: 10 points (8 G, 2 A)
Jonathan Marchessault: 9 points (3 G, 6 A)
Dallas Stars Postseason Leaders
Miro Heiskanen: 21 points (5 G, 16 A)
Denis Gurianov: 15 points (8 G, 7 A)
Jamie Benn: 13 points (5 G, 8 A)
Joe Pavelski: 12 points (8 G, 4 A)
John Klingberg: 12 points (2 G, 10 A)
Postseason Stats
- Power Play: VGK: 20.4% (8th) – DAL: 28.3% (5th)
- Penalty Kill: VGK: 87.8% (5th) – DAL: 82.3% (10th)
- Faceoff: VGK: 43.7% (23rd) – DAL: 49.9% (12th)
- GF/GP: VGK: 3.27 (6th) – DAL: 3.31 (4th)
- GA/GP: VGK: 2.33 (4th) – DAL: 3.50 (19th)
Prediction
I think this series is going to go the full seven and we’ll get a sign of that in Game 1, with the contest going to Overtime.
Both goalies will be solid but the overall star power of the Golden Knights will shine through in Overtime to draw first blood in this series.
Game Info
Puck Drop: 5:00 p.m. PT
Venue: Rogers Place, Edmonton
TV: NBC
Radio: FOX Sports 98.9/1340