Go For It, Golden Knights vs. Stars Game 3: Lines, Notes & How to Watch

Sitting before the Vegas Golden Knights is a chance to put a bear hug on the Western Conference Final. They lead the Dallas Stars 2-0 and can put them in a 3-0 hole from which only a few teams have ever escaped. After a sketchy performance and comeback win in Game 2, the Golden Knights are in full command of the series and have silver dreams before Game 3 at Amerian Airlines Center Tuesday.

The puck drops just after 5 p.m.

The Golden Knights were listless in the Sunday afternoon Game 2. With a noon puck drop, neither team had their best, and the Golden Knights had just 10 shots on goal after 40 minutes. They trailed 2-1 until Jack Eichel created a turnover behind the Dallas net, then moments later fed a no-look pass to Jonathan Marchessault in the slot.

Get the Golden Knights Game 2 recap here.

Marchessault tied the game. And the Golden Knights wasted little time ending the OT session for the second consecutive game. After a 10-bell save by Adin Hill, the Golden Knights stormed the Dallas zone, and Chandler Stephenson buried a rebound just 82 seconds after the fourth-period puck drop.

Most of the statistics weren’t pretty, but Adin Hill upheld his end of the bargain by stopping 26 of 28 shots. At times, Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger has been brilliant, but his breakdowns have been costly, and the Dallas defense has not cleaned the crease.

All hands are expected to be on deck for Game 5, and no line changes are expected (though always possible). Teddy Blueger has remained in the lineup ahead of Michael Amadio since Game 5 of Round Two.

Expect Hill vs. Oettinger in the pipes.

UPDATE: Coach Bruce Cassidy said Chandler Stephenson is ill. He expects Stephenson to play, but his status for Game 3 will be a game-time decision.

Expected Golden Knights Lines

Barbashev-Eichel-Marchessault

Smith-Karlsson-Roy

Howden-Stephenson-Stone

Carrier-Blueger-Kolesar

Defense:

McNabb-Theodore

Martinez-Pietrangelo

Hague-Whitecloud

Goalie: 

Adin Hill

Expected Dallas Stars Lines:

Robertson-Hintz-Pavelski

Marchment-Domi-Seguin

Benn-Johnston-Dadonov

Kiviranta-Faksa-Glendening

Defense:

Suter-Heiskenan

Lindell-Miller

Harley-Hanley

Goalie:

Jake Oettinger

Special Teams:

Golden Knights Power play: 18.6%, 10th

Golden Knights Penalty Killing: 62.5%, 14th

Stars Power Play: 30.4%, 5th

Stars Penalty Killing: 82.1%, 6th

Vegas Golden Knights Game Notes:

The Western Conference Final represents the fourth instance in the past 25 years of head coaches, both in their first season with a team, meeting in the conference finals. The last occurrence was also between Dallas and Vegas in 2020 (DAL: Rick Bowness; VGK: Pete DeBoer). The others: 2010 (PHI: Peter Laviolette; MTL: Jacques Martin) and 1998 (WSH: Ron Wilson; BUF: Lindy Ruff).

The Stars selected Reilly Smith with the No. 69 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft. He skated his first 40 career NHL games with Dallas before being traded to Boston on July 4, 2013, in a blockbuster deal that included Tyler Seguin being sent to the Stars.

Stephenson’s overtime tally was his first in his playoff career and his third game-winning goal this postseason, tied for the most in the league (Matthew Tkachuk FLA, and Carter Verhaeghe FLA).

The Golden Knights completed their eighth comeback win of the postseason on Sunday and became the sixth team in NHL playoff history to do so in four straight games. Vegas has allowed the first goal in 10 of their 13 playoff games this year and is 7- 3 after allowing the first goal.

How to Watch:

TV: ESPN, ESPN+

Radio: Fox Sports 98.9 FM/1340 AM Deportes 1460 AM

Golden Knights Bets:

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We didn’t get our regulation win Sunday, so we’re 1-1 in the WCF.

If you’re an ice-cold bettor, go with Dallas (-140). They should be desperate, and the home crowd should add a little extra mojo. The Golden Knights haven’t been able to sustain good play over multiple games. However, oddsmakers are so overwhelmingly sure that Dallas will win that they’re giving the VGK good value.

The Golden Knights are +120 on the Moneyline. Call us suckers, but yeah, we’ll take it. The Over is 5.5, which still scares us, but the trend is the Under (-105). So, our official picks are the Golden Knights money line parlayed with the Under.

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