What to know about Dallas Stars, Las Vegas Golden Knights in NHL Western Conference finals
The Dallas Stars and Las Vegas Golden Knights will play in the NHL’s Western Conference finals. The winner advances to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
What should you know about the two teams?
How they got here
The Stars advanced by winning a grueling seven-game series against the the Seattle Kraken, winning the clincher at American Airlines Center. The Stars beat the Minnesota Wild in the first round in six games.
The Golden Knights had an easier time, beating Winnipeg in the first round 4-1, then beating Edmonton 4-2.
The Western Conference finals schedule
May 19 at Las Vegas (Game 1), 7:30 p.m., ESPN
May 21 at Las Vegas (Game 2), 2 p.m. ABC
May 23 vs. Las Vegas (Game 3, 7 p.m., ESPN
May 25 vs. Las Vegas (Game 4), 7 p.m., ESPN
*May 27 at Las Vegas (Game 5), 7 p.m., ABC
*May 29 vs. Las Vegas (Game 6), 7 p.m., ESPN
*May 31 at Las Vegas (Game 7), 8 p.m., ESPN
*If necessary
There regular-season records
The Golden Knights won the Pacific Division with a 51-22-9 record, their 111 points were the most in the Western Conference.
The Stars finished second in the Center Division with a 47-21-14, good for 108 points and second place.
The regular-season meetings
The Stars have an all-time 8-3-3 edge in their games against the Golden Knights, including three wins this season: 4-0 on Jan. 16 in Las Vegas, 3-2 on Feb. 25 in Las Vegas and 2-1 on April 8 in Dallas.
The coaches
Peter DoBoer is the 25th coach in the Stars’ franchise history. He has been the head coach for 16 seasons in the NHL. This is his first season with the Stars. He previous coached Florida, New Jersey, San Jose before joining the Stars. He has a career record of 560-400-137 in the regular season and 56-47 in the playoffs. He has guided teams to the playoffs eight times, losing in the Stanley Cup finals twice (in 2012 when the Devils lost to the Los Angeles Kings and in 2016 when the Sharks lost to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Bruce “Butch Cassidy” is in his first season with the Golden Knights. He has been a head coach nine years, previously in Washington and Boston. He has a career record of 343-177-9-62. Eight of his teams has advanced to the playoffs, posting a 38-41 record. He lost in the Stanley Cup finals in 2019 when the Bruins lost to St. Louis.
Golden Knights players to watch
Leading scorers: Jack Eichel leads the Golden Knights with 66 points in the regular-season, scoring 27 goals and tallying 39 assists in 66 games. Chandler Stephenson has 65 points, including 16 goals and 49 assists. Jonathan Marchessault led the team with 28 goals while Reilly Smith had 26. In the playoffs, Eichel has a team-high 14 points (six goals, eight assists) while Mark Stone has 12 (five, seven).
Goalies: The Golden Knights used five goalies during the season. Logan Thompson played in a team-high 37 games with a 21-13-3 record with a 2.65 goals-against average. Adin Hill played in 27 with a 16-7-1 record and a 2.50 GA. Laurent Brossoit played in 11 games, posting a 7-0-3 record with a 2.17 GA. However, in the playoffs Brossoit has a 5-2 record. Hill has played five playoff games with a 3-1 record, including the final two wins over Edmonton.
Stars players to watch
Leading scorers: Jason Robertson led the Stars in scoring during the regular season, compiling 109 points on 46 goals and 63 assists.; Jamie Benn had 78 points (33, 45), Joe Pavelski had 77 (28, 49), Roope Hintz had 75 (37, 38) and Miro Heiskanen had 73 (11, 62). Hintz has led the scoring parade in the postseason, scoring nine goals with 10 assists for 19 points. Robertson has 12 points (2, 10), Max Domi has 11 (3, 8) while Pavelski and Benn have 10 each. Pavelski has eight goals in eight games.
Goalies: Jake Oettinger and Scott Wedgewood were the only netminders during the regular season. Oettinger posted a 37-11-11 record in 62 games with a 2.37 goals against average; Wedgewood posted a 9-8-3 record witha 2.72 GA. In the postseason, Oettinger has made all 13 starts witha an 8-5 record and a 2.75 GA. Wedgewood has relieved Oettinger in two games.
Franchise histories
The Stars were originally known as the Minnesota North Stars and played in Minneapolis from 1968-93. In 1994, the franchise moved to Dallas and was renamed the Stars.
The Stars have been to the playoffs 18 times, advancing to the Stanley Cup three times (1999, 2000, 2020). They won the Stanley Cup after the 1998-99 season.
The Golden Knights were an expansion team in 2018. Since their arrival, they have advanced to the playoffs in five of six seasons and to the Stanley Cup one time. In their inaugural season, they lost to the Washington Capitals in the Cup.
Between 1968 and 1993, the team was known as the Minnesota North Stars.In 1994, the team moved to Dallas and changed their name to the Dallas Stars.
