The Vegas Golden Knights will embark on their 2024 Stanley Cup campaign on Monday, April 22 at American Airlines Center. Here is a preview of what to expect in Vegas’ first-round matchup with the Dallas Stars.
2024 STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS FIRST ROUND SCHEDULE – VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. DALLAS STARS
Game 1: Monday, April 22, 6:30 p.m. PT at American Airlines Center (Scripps Sports, Vegas 34, KnightTime+, ESPN)
Game 2: Wednesday, April 24, 6:30 p.m. PT at American Airlines Center (Scripps Sports, Vegas 34, KnightTime+, ESPN)
Game 3: Saturday, April 27, 7:30 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena (Scripps Sports, Vegas 34, KnightTime+, TBS, truTV, MAX)
Game 4: Monday, April 29, (Time TBD) at T-Mobile Arena (Broadcast TBD)
Game 5: Wednesday, May 1, (Time TBD)* at American Airlines Center (Broadcast TBD)
Game 6: Friday, May, May 3, (Time TBD)* at T-Mobile Arena (Broadcast TBD)
Game 7: Sunday, May 5, (Time TBD)* at American Airlines Center (Broadcast TBD)
*If necessary
SERIES PREVIEW
The Golden Knights finished the regular season as the second Wild Card in the Western Conference with a 45-29-8 record and 98 points. The Dallas Stars finished first in the West and first in the Central Division with a 52-21-9 record and 113 points. Vegas went 3-0-0 against Dallas in the regular season.
On Oct. 17 at T-Mobile Arena, the Golden Knights rallied twice against the Stars to skate away with a 3-2 shootout victory. Craig Smith put Dallas on the board in the second period, but Kaedan Korczak potted his first NHL goal to even the score. Joe Pavelski gave the Stars the lead again in the third period until William Karlsson scored to send the game into overtime. After a scoreless extra frame, the contest entered the shootout where Jonathan Marchessault netted the game-deciding goal. Adin Hill made 24 stops on 26 Dallas shots in the victory.
Both teams clashed again on Nov. 22 at American Airlines Center in a tight overtime matchup. Michael Amadio potted a power-play goal midway through the first period to give Vegas the lead. Amadio’s goal stood as the difference until Roope Hintz notched a tally for Dallas with less than a minute to play in the second frame. Each team exchanged opportunities in the third period, but regulation ended with both teams even at 1-1. In overtime, Adin Hill made a stop on a Jason Robertson shot to spring Jack Eichel who deked Jake Oettinger to score the game-winner. Hill stood tall in net, making 31 saves on 32 shots.
The regular season finale between the Golden Knights and Stars came on Dec. 9 at American Airlines Center. Chandler Stephenson and Zach Whitecloud scored back-to-back goals in the first six minutes of the contest giving Vegas an early, 2-0 lead. Evgenii Dadonov cut the visitors’ lead to one, but Mark Stone answered back to regain the two-goal advantage. Nicolas Roy scored the lone goal of the second period to make it 4-1 in favor of the Golden Knights. The third frame saw scoring from Pavel Dorofeyev and Paul Cotter to bring the final score to 6-1. Logan Thompson picked up his first career win against the Stars, stopping 19 of 20 shots.
This year’s series with Dallas marks the third playoff meeting between the Golden Knights and Stars and the first where these teams aren’t meeting in the Western Conference Final. During the 2023 Western Conference Final, Vegas burst out to a 3-0 series lead over Dallas. The Golden Knights were victorious in back-to-back overtime contests in Games 1 and 2 thanks to the heroics of Brett Howden and Chandler Stephenson and Adin Hill shut the door with his first career playoff shutout in Game 3 to give Vegas a 4-0 victory. The Stars were able to force the Golden Knights to Game 6 with consecutive wins, but Vegas’ offense took over, defeating Dallas 6-0 to become Western Conference Champions for the second time in club history.
2023 – WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL – VGK WINS 4-2
Game 1: May 19 at Vegas – Vegas 4, Dallas 3 (OT)
Game 2: May 21 at Vegas – Vegas 3, Dallas 2 (OT)
Game 3: May 23 at Dallas – Vegas 4, Dallas 0
Game 4: May 25 at Dallas – Vegas 2, Dallas 3 (OT)
Game 5: May 27 at Vegas – Vegas 2, Dallas 4
Game 6: May 29 at Dallas – Vegas 6, Dallas 0
2023 WESTERN CONFERENCE VEGAS POINT LEADERS
Jonathan Marchessault – 7 points (4G, 3A)
William Karlsson – 6 points (5G, 1A)
Ivan Barbashev – 6 points (2G, 4A)
Nicolas Roy – 5 points (0G, 5A)
Chandler Stephenson – 4 points (2G, 2A)
2020 – WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL – DAL WINS 4-1
Game 1: Sept. 6 at Vegas – Vegas 0, Dallas 1
Game 2: Sept. 8 at Vegas – Vegas 3, Dallas 0
Game 3: Sept. 10 at Dallas – Vegas 2, Dallas 3 (OT)
Game 4: Sept. 12 at Dallas – Vegas 1, Dallas 2
Game 5: Sept. 14 at Vegas – Vegas 2, Dallas 3
*All games took place at Rogers Place in Edmonton, AB
NOTABLE STATS
2023-24 Regular Season Point LeadersVegas:
Jonathan Marchessault – 69 points (42G, 27A)
Jack Eichel – 68 points (30G, 38A)
William Karlsson – 60 points (30G, 30A)
Mark Stone – 53 points (16G, 37A)
Chandler Stephenson – 51 points (16G, 35A)
Dallas:
Jason Robertson – 80 points (29G, 51A)
Joe Pavelski – 67 points (27G, 40A)
Wyatt Johnston – 65 points (32G, 33A)
Roope Hintz – 65 points (30G, 35A)
Matt Duchene – 65 points (25G, 40A)
2023-24 Goaltending Comparison
Vegas:
Adin Hill – 2.71 GAA, .909 SV%, 19-12-2
Logan Thompson – 2.70 GAA, .908 SV%, 25-14-5
Dallas:
Jake Oettinger – 2.72 GAA, .905 SV%, 35-14-4
Scott Wedgewood – 2.85 GAA, .889 SV%, 16-7-5
