The Vegas Golden Knights have picked up right where they left off in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Following a 3-1 win in Game 2 of their first-round series against the Dallas Stars, the defending champs carry a 2-0 series lead back home with them to Vegas after snatching two victories in Dallas.
The highlight of Game 2 was some history-making moments for Golden Knights center Jack Eichel who recorded a goal and an assist in the win. Eichel now has 30 career playoff points, doing it in fewer games than any other US-born NHL player, per NHL.com.
Eichel has seven goals and 23 assists in 24 Stanley Cup Playoff games, including four in two games this series. He assisted on two of Vegas’ four goals in its Game 1 win on Monday.
Eichel continues to impress in a Golden Knights uniform. Look no further than his contributions in the playoffs for that, but he’s also a point-per-game player over the last two regular seasons in a Vegas uniform. He’s registered a point in 17 playoff games and has nine multi-point games in the postseason.
After turning into a star in Buffalo, Eichel is adding to his legacy in Vegas with this latest playoff feat. The NHL playoffs are a different beast but Eichel has been able to conquer it with relative ease, a welcome sight for the Golden Knights.
Golden Knights take Stars’ best punch and counter with crushing blow
Expecting the Stars to be aggressive from the start, the Golden Knights held firm and trailed for only 82 seconds throughout Game 2. Dallas played a solid game worthy of a win, but Vegas had all the answers and left the Western Conference’s top seed scratching their heads.
“I think we expected them to come out and push hard that first 5-10 minutes, and they did,” Eichel said. “They were physical, played hard, they had some chances. [Logan Thompson] made some big stops for us. That’s a very desperate hockey team and a very good one. They gave us all we could handle.”
“They’re the Stanley Cup champions, they’ve got everyone figured out. They figured out everyone last year too, so we’re not alone in that boat,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said.
The Golden Knights had to get through the Stars in the Western Conference Final last season en route to the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title. Vegas took the first two games in overtime and almost swept Dallas before the Stars battled back to win Games 4 and 5 of the six-game series.
The Stars have done virtually everything right through two games yet have nothing to show for it. They now have to take a game on the road in a raucous Vegas environment to keep their season alive and will have to win at least two away from home if they want to win the series.
If there was any doubt the Golden Knights were ready for their title defense, that’s all gone out the window after the first two games. It’s all gas, no brakes for Vegas now and despite being the lowest seed in the Western Conference playoffs, every team is chasing them this year.
The series shifts to Vegas with Game 3 on Saturday.
More must-reads: