Vegas defensemen Alec Martinez and Alex Pietrangelo each is 5-0 in Game 7s.
“They’re awesome,” Pavelski said. “They’re even better at home with the crowd and the excitement with it. So, really looking forward to tonight.”
Home teams are 114-81 (.585) in Game 7s in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The winner will face the Colorado Avalanche in the second round.
Here are 3 keys for Game 7:
1. Goaltending
Adin Hill has started the past two games for Vegas and is 1-1 with a 1.52 GAA and .938 save percentage. He is coming off a 2-0 shutout win in Game 6 on Friday. He also shut out Dallas twice in the conference final last season.
“How ’bout a fourth time, ‘Hilly’?” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said, drawing laughter. “I’m sure that they’ll have something to say about that and have a game plan for him, but listen, you’re not advancing without good goaltending. I think you’ve seen that from both sides. There hasn’t been a poor game from the goaltenders at all, so it’s one of those series where they’re dictating a lot of the outcomes.”
Jake Oettinger is 3-3 with a 2.10 goals-against average and .921 save percentage for the Stars in the series.
This will be Hill’s first Game 7. Oettinger has played two Game 7s and is 1-1 with a 1.78 GAA and .956 save percentage.
2. The lead
There have been no lead changes in the third period in this series.
Vegas took a lead into the third period and shut down Dallas in Games 1 and 2. Game 3 was tied entering the third and went to overtime. The Stars took a lead into the third and shut down the Golden Knights in Games 4 and 5. Game 6 was tied entering the third, and then Vegas took the lead and shut down Dallas.
And so, obviously, each team wants to play with the lead in the third. Coming back would be difficult.
“It’s super important,” Dallas forward Jason Robertson said. “A lead is crucial nowadays, especially in the playoffs. It’s something where things might tighten up if you go up. It’s hard to score. Guys are too good. Goalies are too good. If you get a lead and try to build on it, that’d be great. But we have to be prepared for whatever.”
3. Special teams
Power plays have been at a premium. Vegas has had 11 power plays in six games. That’s tied for the fewest in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the New York Islanders, who had 11 in five. Dallas has had 13 power plays.
There are two ways to look at that: 1) The 5-on-5 battle is critical; 2) Each penalty and power play is magnified.
Dallas leads Vegas in 5-on-5 goals 9-8 and in power-play goals 4-3. The Stars also have a short-handed goal.
“At the end of the night, it always comes down to the same type of factors,” DeBoer said. “If there is a special teams battle, if there is penalties, you want to make sure you win that. That’s an important factor in winning. The goaltending battle is important in winning. And then obviously the 5-on-5 play, but there’s a lot more 5-on-5 play obviously in this series.”
