The Vegas Golden Knights continued their hot streak after defeating the Dallas Stars 3-2 at T-Mobile Arena on Friday.
Captain Mark Stone returned after missing 14 games, and tallied an assist. Forwards Jack Eichel, Nicolas Roy and Tomas Hertl all scored. Defenseman Shea Theodore had two assists.
“The boys were ready to go,” Stone said. “They knew they were going to have to make a big effort.”
Here are three takeaways from the game:
Golden Knights’ Timely Challenge
The Stars thought they gained an early 1-0 lead at 2:40 of the first period when forward Jason Robertson scored.
The Golden Knights challenged for goalie interference, as they thought Adin Hill froze the puck. The referees confirmed the challenge and ruled it as a no-goal.
Vegas settled down after that and took the lead later that period.
“I didn’t like our first four or five minutes,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We looked off, nervous. Something wasn’t clicking. We got a good call with our video coordinator to get the goal overturned. I think that really helped us settle in after that.”
Special Teams Difference
The Stars committed five penalties with one penalty being a double major. It allowed the Golden Knights to go on the power-play six times, which Vegas converted twice.
The first goal came from Stone, who found Hertl in the slot on the two-man advantage. Hertl picked his corner and scored his seventh power-play goal of the season.
The Golden Knights got their second goal when Jack Eichel one-timed a Theodore pass from the left circle.
In all, Vegas finished 2-for-6 on the power play.
“We had a lot of chances. We had a lot of opportunities to work on it,” Theodore said.
Total Team Effort
The Golden Knights played their third consecutive defensive gem, but Hill had to work harder than he did against the Edmonton Oilers. Hill stopped 38 shots, including 16 in the final period.
But in the last three games, Vegas has allowed just three goals and looked much better on the defensive end.
“We’ve been really solid [defensively],” Theodore said. “With what we’ve given up, [Hill] has been there to make a big stop. That’s got to continue.”
Paul Delos Santos is the Las Vegas sports insider for Dice City Sports. Follow him on X at @PaulDelos_.
