NHL Playoff Preview: Stars-Knights: What should we take from Game 2?
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The Dallas Stars are in a difficult spot as they are down two games to nothing in the Western Conference finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs. But they are not hopeless; in fact, they are far from it. Sure, they don’t have the kind of firepower to match that of Vegas, but they feel as if they have been in a position to win both games. After all, they both went to overtime.
So as BetOnline patrons prepare to watch Game 3 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, they should keep in mind that the Stars have actually shown some genuine defensive prowess and need to just cut back on a mistake or two to jump right back into the fray with these next two games in the Lone Star State.
In Game 2, Dallas was ahead 2-1 until there was 2:22 left when Jonathan Marchessault took advantage of a Dallas defensive error and beat Jake Oettinger. The overtime was not too far along when Chandler Stephenson put one in to give the Golden Knights a 3-2 victory.
Vegas did a very good job of keeping the puck in the Dallas end and forcing the action. It was not easy, but the Knights have several talented centers to make such a thing happen. Stephenson is one of those; William Karlsson also has seven goals in the postseason. There is another center who will have an impact any time he is on the ice, and we’re going to discuss him in a moment.
Here are the NHL playoff odds that have been posted on this game:
Dallas Stars -141
Vegas Golden Knights +128
Over 5.5 Goals -108
Under 5.5 Goals -102
And on the puck line…..
Stars -1.5 Goals +190
Knights +1.5 Goals -220
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Jack Eichel has been critical to the Golden Knights’ success this season. Eichel, a Massachusetts native who won the Hobey Baker Award while a freshman at Boston University, wound up as the consolation prize for the Buffalo Sabres, who had the second pick in the draft and had to follow Edmonton, which selected Connor McDavid.
Eichel became a standout player, although nothing on the level of McDavid. His best season for the Sabres was 2019-20 when he scored 36 goals. But his time in Buffalo started to become less and less happy. In April 2021, he had to have back surgery, which ended what was a tough season for him. At the same time, there were different trade rumors about him every day. Ultimately he got traded to Vegas, which gave him a chance to win the Stanley Cup. This season he had 27 goals and 39 assists to lead the team with 66 points, which made him one of the most popular players to place wagers on top NHL betting sites.
Eichel must navigate a defensive shell Dallas has been employing to make things secure around goalie Jake Oettinger. And it has been effective. The Stars have been collapsing around the center and keeping the guys in the middle away from the crease. So Vegas has had its high-danger scoring chances reduced, and the Stars’ scheme has forced them to the outside a great deal.
Don’t get us wrong; the Knights can still score from out there. But coach Pete DeBoer kind of likes what they’ve been doing. All they have to do is generate a little offense. It’s not as if this team has lost a lot of confidence. Rather, they think what they’ve done is good enough to win already. So we have some faith in the home team here.
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