The Vegas Golden Knights shut out the Stars 4-0 in Dallas on Tuesday to win Game 3 and take a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference final. Here’s what you need to know:
- Stars captain Jamie Benn received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for cross-checking Vegas’ Mark Stone less than two minutes into the game. Vegas was leading 1-0 at the time of Benn’s ejection and would go on to score on the ensuing major penalty. Benn declined to speak to the media after the game.
- William Carrier added a third first-period goal to chase Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger after he faced just five shots, and Alex Pietrangelo extended Vegas’ lead to 4 midway through the second.
- Players were sent to the locker room for the second intermission with 21.6 seconds left in the second period after fans threw trash onto the ice with Dallas down 4-0.
- Golden Knights goalie Adin Hill finished with 34 saves in his first career playoff shutout.
- Dallas’ Evgenii Dadonov and Vegas’ Brett Howden both left the game with injuries and did not return.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
Eichel to Marchessault connection alive and well
Jack Eichel set up Jonathan Marchessault with a sensational pass to tie Game 2 in the final minutes. He picked up in Game 3 with a similar play, freezing Oettinger before slipping a pass across to Marchessault to one-time into the wide-open net. The play gave Vegas a lead only 1:11 into the contest and set the tone for the entire game.
Eichel leads Vegas this postseason in assists (10) and points (17). Marchessault’s goal was his seventh of the playoffs, tying him with William Karlsson and Chandler Stephenson for the team lead. — Granger
Hill shines in shutout
Hill wears a mask with a brick wall painted on the front, and Tuesday night in Dallas he was every bit of one. He stopped all 34 shots for his first career playoff shutout, and his first as a Golden Knight. The win improved his record to 6-1 in these playoffs. He’s been a rock backstopping Vegas’ strong defense since taking the net midway through the second round. — Granger
How Benn’s ejection impacted Dallas
The loss of Benn was massive for the Stars, made even worse by the fact that it was self-inflicted. Benn’s cross-check was completely unnecessary and dangerous. It’s the kind of departure that is just deflating as opposed to something the team could rally around. Beyond that, Benn could very well be facing a suspension.
On the ice, the Stars lost their second-leading scorer. Benn had 78 points in the regular season, behind only Jason Robertson’s 109 points. He’s a staple on the first power-play unit as well and one of the primary physical forces on the Stars roster.
Above all, Benn is the captain. He’s the player the team looks to for a boost and somebody to follow. He provided the opposite of that less than two minutes into a must-win game. — Yousuf
Highlight of the game
Key stat
Hill earned his fifth straight win and matched the franchise record for longest winning streak in the postseason, tying Marc-Andre Fleury (three times) and Laurent Brossoit, per the NHL. Hill also became the first goaltender with a five-game winning streak during his first career postseason appearance since Jacob Markstrom (5-0 in 2020). Only six NHL goalies have had a longer run during their debut postseason.
Required reading
(Photo: Steph Chambers / NHLI via Getty Images)