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The Vegas Golden Knights travel to the American Airlines Center on Wednesday to face the Dallas Stars for Game 2 in the West 1st Round of the NHL Playoffs. The game will be aired at 9:30 p.m. ET on various channels including ESPN, SN360, TVAS2, BSSW and SCRIPPS.
The Knights are leading the series 1-0. The Stars, despite being the favorites and playing at home were unable to counter the Knights in the series opener. The Knights have a history of success against the Stars, winning eight of their last 10 encounters.
The teams are meeting for the third time in the playoffs, following their previous faceoffs in last season's Western Conference Final (Vegas 4-2 Stars) and the 2020 Western Conference Final (Stars 4-1 Vegas)
Vegas Golden Knights vs Dallas Stars: Game preview
The Dallas Stars ended the regular season on a high, securing the top seed in the Western Conference, winning 12 of 14 games.
They had an impressive home record of 26-11-4, but that didn't translate into success in Game One. They were down 2-0 early in the first period and ended up losing 3-2.
Captain Jamie Benn scored the first goal for the Stars in Game 1. Benn, a veteran of 15 NHL seasons, has participated in the Stanley Cup Playoffs seven times, all with Dallas, earning 63 points (24-39-63) in 84 postseason games.
The Stars had 29 shots on goal and two power play opportunities but couldn't capitalize on them. Jamie Benn and Jason Robertson scored the Stars' first period goals, but they didn't score until Mason Marchment's goal late in the third period.
Despite playing well in the second and third periods, their first period defensive errors led to their downfall. Jake Oettinger, who had a regular season record of 35-14-4 with a 2.72 goals against average and a .905 save percentage, will be in goal for Dallas.
Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights, boasting an overall record of 45-29-8 and a 19-17-6 record on the road, have a 40-10-6 record when they net three or more goals. They were the second wild card in the West and achieved a significant 4-3 win in Game 1.
The Golden Knights' first period goals came from Mark Stone, Jonathan Marchessault and Thomas Hertl, which gave them a 3-2 lead going into the intermission. Jonathan Marchessault has scored in the Golden Knights' last six playoffs games as underdogs.
Brayden McNabb added to their lead with the fourth goal just 66 seconds into the second period. Despite being outplayed in the second and third periods, Vegas held on to win 4-3. They record a mere 15 shots on goal but were successful in both their power play opportunities.
Before their win in game 1, Vegas ended the regular season by winning three of their last four games but suffered a loss to Anaheim in the regular season finale. Logan Thompson, who had a 25-14-5 record this season with a 2.70 goals against average and a .908 save percentage, will be starting goalie for Vegas.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars: Injury report
The Golden Knights' Alex Pietrangelo is sidelined due to an illness. Meanwhile, the Stars' Jani Hakanpaa is unable to play due to a lower-body injury.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars: Head-to-head and significant numbers
The Dallas Stars have a playoff record of 6-7-0 against the Golden Knights. In the last 10 games, the Stars have a 7-3-0 record, with an average of three goals, 5.2 assists, 2.7 penalties, and 6.2 penalty minutes per game, allowing 1.8 goals per game.
Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have a 6-4-0 record in their last 10 games, averaging 3.5 goals, six assists, 2.2 penalties and 5.7 penalty minutes per game, while conceding 3.1 goals per game.
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars: Odds and prediction
This season, Dallas has won 35 of 48 games as the betting favorites and has a 48-25 record when the odds are less than -137, which translates to a 57.8% chance of winning this game.
Meanwhile, the Vegas Golden Knights have been the underdogs in 29 games and have pulled off upsets 15 times. With odds of +130 or more, Vegas has a 2-1 record, indicating a 43.5% probability of winning this contest.
Prediction: Stars 5-3 Golden Knights
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Dallas Stars: Betting tips
Tip 1: Stars to win
Tip 2: Total goals over 5.5: Yes
Tip 3: Jason Robertson to score anytime: Yes
Tip 4: Joe Pavelski to assist first: Yes
Tip 5: Golden Knights to beat the spread: No
