DALLAS -- The big question entering the Western Conference First Round is if the Vegas Golden Knights can come together as a team.
It looks like they will dress a lineup they’ve never dressed before against the Dallas Stars in Game 1 at American Airlines Center on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSSW, ESPN, FX-CA, SN360, TVAS), with returning players mixing with new arrivals.
Forward Mark Stone missed the last 26 games of the regular season with a lacerated spleen. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo missed 11 of the last 13 -- six with an illness, seven after having his appendix removed. Forward William Carrier missed the last 11 with an upper-body injury. Forwards Anthony Mantha and Chandler Stephenson each missed the finale with an undisclosed injury.
Everyone was cleared for contact when the Golden Knights practiced at their facility in Las Vegas on Sunday. Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said they’d see about Game 1 on Monday, but even before he spoke, Dallas coach Peter DeBoer was sure.
“I think we all know who’s in the lineup, don’t we?” DeBoer said with a laugh earlier after the Stars practiced at their facility in Frisco, Texas. “I’m assuming they’re all in. I think that’s the assumption. Good. Let’s go. Drop the puck.”
This would be the first time Stone, Pietrangelo, Carrier and Stephenson were in a lineup with Mantha, defenseman Noah Hanifin and forward Tomas Hertl. Vegas acquired Mantha from the Washington Capitals on March 5, Hanifin from the Calgary Flames on March 6 and Hertl from the San Jose Sharks on March 8. Hertl was recovering from knee surgery at the time of his trade and played only six games down the stretch.
The Golden Knights could be even deeper and better than last season, when they defeated the Stars in six games in the Western Conference Final and went on to win the Stanley Cup. The only player they lost from that team was forward Reilly Smith, and now they’ve bolstered the roster.
But they need to jell, because the Stars are definitely deeper and better than last season. They signed forwards Matt Duchene, Craig Smith and Sam Steel as unrestricted free agents July 1; called up forward Logan Stankoven from Texas of the American Hockey League on Feb. 24; and acquired defenseman Chris Tanev from the Flames on Feb. 28.
“[The Golden Knights are] a dangerous team,” Duchene said. “They’re a team that’s going to have almost a brand-new roster coming into playoffs, so hopefully they’re not quite clicking. But at the same time, even if they are, we’re going to be ready for their best. I know they’re ready for us.”
Vegas earned the second wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference, while Dallas won the West. The Stars went 12-2-0 down the stretch too. But that could be deceiving.
“The difference is, they haven’t had had their team, right?” DeBoer said. “So, it’s hard to look at their recent results and say, ‘This is what you’re getting.’ I can only speak for our group. We’ve had our group together. They’ve been on the ice together. They’ve played together down the stretch. We’ve been playing some great hockey. I’m excited about how we translate that to the playoffs.”
Stone and Pietrangelo are major factors. Stone had 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 22 games in the playoffs last season, third on the Golden Knights. Pietrangelo led them in average ice time (23:25). Stone is their captain; Pietrangelo was the captain of the St. Louis Blues when they won the Cup in 2019. Vegas will need their leadership to get everyone on the same page.
“The coaches always have a plan,” Cassidy said. “Whether that works or not is always open for debate. But when it’s your peers and the peers you look up to giving you direction, your ears perk up. That’s just the way it is. So, we’ve missed some of that in different ways.”
The good news for the Golden Knights is that Stone has been through this before. He missed the last 39 regular-season games recovering from back surgery last season, then returned for Game 1 of the playoffs and looked like himself again. At least in practice, he looks like himself again, again.
“He looks like Mark Stone,” Cassidy said. “His hands are excellent. His timing looks good with puck plays out there and the sort of small-area stuff we’re doing. His pace looks fine. … He’s been skating a little bit here, so that’s probably helped him be able to get into fast-paced practice a little better than just jumping on for the first or second time. I think he looks good. Hopefully he gets the green light.”
Pietrangelo said he’s ready too.
“Yeah, the group looks pretty deep again,” Vegas center Jack Eichel said. “We’ll definitely lean on that. With some of the additions to the group and guys getting healthy, I think we feel good about where we’re at.”
