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NHL Western Conference Finals Playoffs – Game 5: Vegas – Dallas, May 27, 2023. Dallas Stars hockey players (top) celebrate a goal, Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill, bottom left, and teammate Zach Whitecloud, right .
Las Vegas – The Dallas hockey players won 4:2 on the Vegas ice and with their second win in a row reduced the status of the NHL Western Conference finals to 2:3. The first star of the game was visiting forward Ty Dellandrea, who broke a 2-2 tie with two goals in 87 seconds in the third period. The next fight will take place on Tuesday night.
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In the history of the NHL, only four teams have turned 0:3 into games. “I know these guys. They weren't happy about the hole they were in, but they decided to do something about it. They got going and this is the result,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer gushed. Radek Faksa also rejoiced at the victory, who spent fifteen minutes on the ice and added +/- one positive point to the statistics.
DeBoer's men won both games even without suspended captain Jamie Benn, who can start next time. Yevgeny Dadonov was injured during the series. “The victory is all the sweeter that we achieved it without several players. It's great that we have somewhere to reach and that everyone does their part,” added the Dallas coach.
Vegas players led 1:0 and 2:1. The score was opened by Ivan Barbashev, who in the 14th minute pushed himself from the right side in front of the goal and beat Jake Oettinger with a forehand loop. Chandler Stephenson scored the home team's second goal at the beginning of the second period with a shot from the left circle.
Dallas responded very quickly in both cases. Luke Glendening tied the score at 1-1 with Thomas Harley's flowing shot from the blue line. Jason Robertson, who scored for the fifth time in the series, erased the deficit in the middle period.
Dellandrea, who did not fit into the lineup in the opening two games in Vegas, became an unexpected hero. He turned the score in the 51st minute to the Dallas side with a shot from the right circle and with the help of Alex Pietrangelo. Moments later he secured the win with a finish from the area in front of the goal.
“Already last time I threw away one chance that I should have converted. I tried to shoot and I'm glad that it worked out this time and that I contributed to the team's win,” said Dellandrea. “I won't lie that it wasn't difficult when I didn't play. But you try to be ready as soon as the chance comes. I mainly focused on winning the game and I'm happy for the team that it was successful,” he added.
In Vegas, they know what they need to improve. “We had 24 turnovers. I'm not sure we'd beat Arizona in January with that number. It's nothing against Arizona, I have respect for them. I'm just explaining that we can't lose pucks that often,” explained home coach Bruce Cassidy. “In my opinion, it's related to determination, the desire to win. When it's missing, you don't make the right decisions with the puck, the players don't support each other well, they don't complement each other. That's the main thing we have to change. And we also didn't hold the lead for long,” the coach looked for the reasons for the loss.
Vegas captain Mark Stone agreed. “We didn't perform at our best in the last two matches. It takes a little more effort and playing to our full potential from the beginning,” he noted. “We didn't play the full sixty minutes. They were hungrier, they were winning fights. They played with more desire to win. But no one said it would be an easy series. We have to match their determination,” said Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez.
< p>The series winner will face Florida, who eliminated Carolina 4-0 in games, for the Stanley Cup.
NHL Western Conference Finals Playoffs – Game 5:
Vegas – Dallas 2:4 (1:1, 1:1, 0:2)
Goals: 14. Barbashev, 24. Stephenson – 51. and 53. Dellandrea, 16. Glendening, 26. Robertson. Shots on goal: 29:34. Spectators: 18,546. Stars of the match: 1. Dellandrea, 2. Robertson (both Dallas), 3. Stephenson (Vegas). Series status: 3:2.
