Stars not looking past Game 5 in bid for Stanley Cup Final berth

Game 5: Stars vs. Golden Knights (Dallas leads 3-1)

The Stars know what is on the line Monday night.
With a victory, they could get the franchise to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2000 -- for many of the players, the first time in their career.
They also know what will be across the ice. The Vegas Golden Knights are facing elimination down 3-1 in the best-of-seven series. In its two previous games in this situation, Dallas saw a motivated opponent, as Calgary got off to a 3-0 start in the first period and Colorado to a 5-0 start in the first period. Dallas came back to beat Calgary in Game 6, 7-3, and defeated Colorado in seven games, but let's just say the memory of those first periods burns brightly.
"We have experience," said center Tyler Seguin. "We came out and played with fire (against Colorado) and they were up 5-0 in the first period, so we weren't ready and now we have that experience. We know what to expect from a team that has their season on the line, so we've got to be more prepared."
The Stars say they have learned from the previous instances, but just as importantly, have learned from their games against Vegas. Dallas has been outshot 130-92 and has relied heavily on goalie Anton Khudobin. They hope now to give a better team effort.
"We know that last game we spent too much time in our own zone," said Stars interim coach Rick Bowness. "The energy we want to spend on offense is being spent in our zone, so we've got to do more with the puck and get up the ice better and spend a little more time in the offensive zone."
That said, the play of Khudobin has been a great equalizer. The 34-year-old goalie has allowed three goals in the three wins, and has frustrated the Vegas scorers.

"We can't feel sorry for ourselves or anything," said Vegas forward Jonathan Marchessault. "It's adversity you're going to face in the playoffs. We're going to face hot goalies, we're going to face offensive power, like Vancouver had a good power play, stuff like that. We're going to face all of that."
Both teams understand the dynamic and the pressure on both sides. Dallas had a 3-1 lead on Colorado and had to go to overtime to win Game 7. Vegas had a 3-1 lead on Vancouver and had to move on in Game 7.
"The playoffs are never over until it's over," Marchessault said. "You can't look at it like a big mountain right now. We have a lot of scoring chances. We've created a lot still. We just can't find the back of the net."
That said, the Stars said they have to realize what a great opportunity this is. They are up 3-1 in the series thanks to Khudobin. Now, they have to play better and try to close things out quickly.
"We've positioned ourselves very nicely with this series, but as of right now it's only 3-1 and we're going to have to play a better game to close out the series," Stars forward Andrew Cogliano said. "As we've gone here, we've continued to find ways to win and that shows you're a good team. It's not going to be perfect every night, but it seems like we have a lot of guys who buy in on a nightly basis and understand what their roles are, really do what they need to do to win games."
Even when the opposition raises its level of play.
"We know every single game in the playoffs, they'll be tough," defenseman Andrej Sekera said. "Every single time a team faces elimination, they try to throw the best they have at you. We've got to be ready for it. On the other hand, we have to throw the best we have at them."

Golden Knights focused on breaking through against Khudobin

Khudobin has allowed six goals on 130 shots and has been on top of his game in the Western Conference Final. That has caused some frustration for several Vegas players.
However, they said they can't allow that frustration to get into their heads.
"Well, my emotional level cannot rise. It needs to cool down a little bit," Marchessault said. "I think, honestly, we've been pretty good, everybody. We're grinding. We're playing the right way. We're not giving a lot of scoring chances. We just can't bear down. …This year, we have expectations. It's a tough thing in hockey sometimes. I know we have a lot of gamers in that locker room. Not that I'm not worried, we just have to take care of business."

Vegas coach Pete DeBoer said he believes his team is doing what it needs to do, and said the difference in shots on goal and shots attempts is a testament to that.
"The worst thing we can do is analyze this to death and start changing a bunch of things," DeBoer said. "If you can throw out double the amount of high-danger scoring chances on a given night, you're going to win most games. You've got to trust that eventually that will come around and swing your way."
That said, he would love it if his team made things even tougher on Khudobin.
"If he can't see it, he can't stop it, so we have to get bodies there," DeBoer said. "Other than that, we created enough looks with the puck in the right people's hands. Most times, we're getting at least three goals in a game like that and maybe four or five. We've just got to stay with it."

Stars could again have to dig into forward depth

Roope Hintz left Game 4 after a collision with teammate Corey Perry and did not return. He is a game-time decision for Game 5.
Bowness has a lot of choices, but said that he would likely look at a center if Hintz is unavailable. The Stars are already missing center Radek Faksa, who is listed as "unfit to play" in Game 5 with a possible hand injury.

The two centers who could be available are Justin Dowling and Ty Dellandrea. They represent huge differences in experience level. Dowling, 29, played 29 games for the Stars this season, tallying three goals and three assists. He played in 13 playoff games last season. Dellandrea is 20 and has played 11 AHL games.
Also listed as "unfit to play" for Dallas are Ben Bishop and Stephen Johns. Taylor Fedun has been cleared to return, but Joel Hanley has played well in Fedun's absence and is expected to remain in the lineup.

By the numbers

11-5

That's the record for DeBoer in games where his teams have faced playoff elimination. That includes Game 7 against Vancouver in the second round.

97.1

That's the series winning percentage for teams that have been up 3-1 in the conference finals in the NHL. Teams with a 3-1 lead are 34-1 (97.1 percent).

3.9

That's the shooting percentage for Vegas in its past seven games. The Golden Knights had 45 goals in the first 12 playoff games, but just 10 in the past seven.

He said it

"It would be absolutely incredible. That's something that you think about, but you've also got to put it in the side. You've got to think of your next shifts, you've got to stay in that moment."
-- Seguin on what it would mean to him to make the Stanley Cup Final as a member of the Stars. He has made it twice with Boston.

Stars projected lineup

Jamie Benn - Tyler Seguin - Alexander Radulov
Mattias Janmark - Joe Pavelski - Denis Gurianov
Andrew Cogliano - Jason Dickinson - Blake Comeau
Joel Kiviranta - Roope Hintz - Corey Perry
Esa Lindell - John Klingberg
Jamie Oleksiak - Miro Heiskanen
Joel Hanley - Andrej Sekera
Anton Khudobin
Jake Oettinger
Unfit to Play:Radek Faksa, Stephen Johns, Ben Bishop, Taylor Fedun
Scratched:Justin Dowling, Jason Robertson, Ty Dellandrea, Thomas Harley, Nick Caamano, Gavin Bayreuther, Landon Bow
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.