Mark Stone, the captain of the Vegas team, scored quickly after being out for two months. His teammate Tomas Hertl also scored a fantastic goal in his first playoff game for the Golden Knights.
The only times Vegas scored were during power plays. This helped them secure a 4-3 victory over the Dallas Stars, who were the top-seeded team, as they began defending their Stanley Cup title.
Stone was pleased with the team’s performance, especially with the power play goals. Jonathan Marchessault scored his 36th postseason goal, setting a franchise record for Vegas. Brayden McNabb also contributed with a remarkable goal in the second period.
Hertl and Noah Hanifin, both newly acquired players for Vegas, played alongside Stone.
Stone had been out due to injury, but during that time, his salary didn’t count against the team’s cap, allowing the Knights to make strategic moves in March.
Hertl expressed his excitement about playing with Stone and hoped they would continue to improve together. Despite being the eighth seed, Vegas started the playoffs with a win against Dallas, a team they faced in the West final last year.
The Stars’ coach, Pete DeBoer, acknowledged the challenge of playing against the defending champions and emphasized the need to bring their best game every night.
In a surprise move, Logan Thompson started as the goalie for Vegas, making his postseason debut and stopping 27 shots. This decision was made by coach Bruce Cassidy over Adin Hill, who had performed well against the Stars in previous matchups but had struggled with injuries and inconsistency this season.
