The powerful shot hit Roope Hintz in the arm, causing him pain and forcing him to fall. But moments later, he managed to score with the same puck, sealing the victory. “That’s how you win championships,” said Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger.
The Stars are showing their strength as a team, bouncing back from losing the first two games of their NHL playoffs first-round series at home. They beat the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights twice in their building, including a 4-2 win on Monday night.
Game 5 will be held on Wednesday night in Dallas.
Evgenii Dadonov, Wyatt Johnston, and Ty Dellandrea also scored for the Stars, while Oettinger made 33 saves. Johnston has scored three goals in the past two games, including the Game 3 winner in overtime.
Michael Amadio and Jack Eichel scored goals for the Golden Knights, with Logan Thompson making 28 saves. Eichel has scored goals in three consecutive games and has six points in this series. Both teams benefited from goals in the first period that the goalies would probably want to redo.
Amadio managed to score with a rebound that slipped past Oettinger, and shortly after, Dadonov scored from close range when the puck bounced off Thompson’s mask into the net. The Knights outshot the Stars 14-8 in the period.
In the second period, the Stars changed the game by outshooting Vegas 17-6 and scoring twice to take a 3-2 lead.
Eichel scored a goal from a rebound 3:09 into the period, and Johnston got a power-play goal from another rebound halfway through to tie the game again. The Stars got lucky when Smith’s shot bounced off Dellandrea’s chest and into the net with 1:26 left.
Knights coach Bruce Cassidy criticized Dellandrea’s goal, calling it “inexcusable.”
“We could have ended the period 2-2,” Cassidy said. “We stayed on the ice too long. Then we made a mistake with the puck. It’s a lucky play, but they’re putting everything towards the net. You’ll get some of those lucky breaks.”
Dellandrea scored two goals in the third period of Game 5 in last year’s Western Conference final to keep the Stars’ playoff hopes alive.
“He enjoys playing in Vegas,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “He’s a player who performs well in the playoffs. He doesn’t back down.”
With the lead, the Stars played defensively in the third period, similar to what the Knights did in the first two games. Even though Vegas outshot Dallas 15-7, the Stars repeatedly stopped scoring chances and made it difficult for the Knights to take good shots.
