The end could be near for the Vegas Golden Knights if they don’t right this ship and fast.
It was a similar story in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final as the offense failed to deliver for the Vegas Golden Knights, who are now on the brink of elimination after a crushing 2-1 loss to the Dallas Stars.
The first period was scoreless as both goalies stood on their head, although veteran defenseman Alec Martinez converted on the power play to get the Golden Knights on the board in the second period.
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However, the offense dried up from that point on for Vegas who were unable to beat Dallas goalie Anton Khudobin for the remainder of the game.
That allowed the Stars to take a commanding 3-1 series lead thanks to second period goals from Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn.
It was a loss the Golden Knights couldn’t afford and, while this series is not over yet, it will be with one more Dallas Stars win.
But, for now, let’s go through all the Sights and Sounds from Game 4 of the Western Conference Final between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Dallas Stars..
Cold-Blooded Martinez
Alec Martinez is built for the big moment.
He scored the OT goal that clinched the 2014 Stanley Cup for the LA Kings, while he also recorded a handful of other huge goals during the Kings’ championship runs.
And the veteran defenseman came up with a big moment in Game 4 against the Stars, getting the Golden Knights on the board in the second period.
On the power play, Vegas won the faceoff in the offensive zone and Nate Schmidt dished the puck across to Martinez, who winds up and sends a bomb of a one-timer past Anton Khudobin for the first goal of the game.
It was Martinez’s second goal of the postseason but, sadly, it counted for nothing with the Golden Knights unable to spark their slumping offense into life after that point.
Pavelski Pounces
When you can’t score you need to play incredibly well in your own zone, but the Golden Knights failed in that area too in Game 4.
Minutes after Alec Martinez had scored a huge goal to give Vegas the lead, things began to crumble quickly.
And the game-tying goal was an ugly one for Vegas fans.
Mark Stone battled for the puck in his own zone and quickly dished it to Nate Schmidt in the hope of starting the transition game.
However, Schmidt couldn’t handle the pass and he had his pocket picked by Andrew Cogliano, leading to Joe Pavelski having all the time in the world to backhand the puck past Robin Lehner.
Game on.
Captain Clutch
Big hitters on both teams have been quiet in this series, but Jamie Benn came up huge for his team when they needed him most in Game 4.
With Dallas on the power play late in the second period, John Klingberg threw a shot on goal from the point and, although Robin Lehner saved the initial effort, Benn was on hand to slam home the rebound.
It proved to be the game-winner for the Stars who now need one more win to advance through to the Stanley Cup Final.
Unstoppable
Anton Khudobin.
That’s it.
That’s all you need to know.
The Vegas Golden Knights were the favorites to come out of the Western Conference Final, especially given the uncertain status of Ben Bishop, the undisputed No.1 for Dallas.
However, it is the Stars’ 1A goalie Anton Khudobin that has them within one win of the Stanley Cup Final.
He has been sensational in this series, keeping one shutout in addition to a 2.67 Goals Against Average and a .918 Save Percentage.
And Khudobin was stellar in Game 4, stopping 32 of 33 shots to frustrate the Golden Knights and put his side on the precipice of making the Stanley Cup Final.
Khudobin needs one more huge game against the Golden Knights and he will be a hero forever in Dallas.
Big Winner
Anton Khudobin: 32 Saves, 1GA, .970 SV%
The goalie was lights out for the Dallas Stars in Game 4 and he will be the main reason why they make the Stanley Cup Final if they can now finish off the Golden Knights.
You can’t win championships without hot goaltending and the Stars are getting that right now from what is effectively their 1A netminder.
Big Loser
Mark Stone: 0 Points, -1, 19:28 TOI
We’ve grouped the Vegas offense together in this category before, so we decided to pick out an individual this time.
And we’ve gone for Stone who did leave the game and his status for Game 5 is now in doubt. However, the forward struggled prior to getting hurt and he has gone scoreless in five of six games.
You won’t win anything if your stars don’t deliver, as has been the case in this series.