A little less for a lot more.
That’s been the Dallas Stars’ team motto ever since training camp seven months ago. The message is even emblazoned on a pennant hanging in their locker room, a constant reminder of a driving force that’s served the team better than coach Pete DeBoer could have ever imagined when he introduced the concept.
The phrase is all about sacrifice. DeBoer knew his team had an enviable share of high-level talent coming into the season, but he thought where Dallas really held an edge over the rest of the NHL was towards the end of its roster.
He wanted to convince the Stars’, well, stars that getting less ice time and accumulating fewer statistics was for the best of the team. Not only would that give promising younger, developing players deserved opportunities but it could come with the bonus of keeping the team healthier to achieve their ultimate goal, winning the Stanley Cup, when the time came.
The players bought into it, and the results rolled in according to plan. The Stars posted the best record in the Western Conference and became one of the Stanley Cup favorites.
But, buoyed by several players returning to health, the Vegas Golden Knights came into their first-round series against the Stars thinking they could match, if not exceed, the Stars’ depth of contributors and penchant for selflessness.
So far, that’s exactly what’s happened.
The Golden Knights return home for the first time in this year’s playoffs at 7:30 tonight with a 2-0 series lead over the Stars in no small part because they’ve so far been steadier down the lineup.
“We did our job on the road,” Golden Knights’ fourth-line wing Keegan Kolesar said. “Now we have home-ice advantage on them. They are looking at it as, not backs against the wall, but the pressure is on them. We’ve got to go home and bring the same effort we did the last two games and see where the chips fall.”
Vegas’ top forward line of Jonathan Marchessault, Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev has lived up to its billing with three goals though two games, but it was Kolesar’s bottom unit that spurred arguably the most important score of the series.
Defenseman Noah Hanifin’s game-winner in the second period of Game 2 was set up by Kolesar and linemates William Carrier and Nicolas Roy relentlessly pressuring Dallas in its zone and causing chaos at the front of the net.
And they weren’t done yet.
The fourth line contributed in the final minutes through their more usual fashion — with hits and overall physicality — to keep Dallas’ all-out blitz to tie the score at bay while Vegas’ key players got a much-needed breather.
Vegas’ third defensive pairing of Alec Martinez and Zach Whitecloud proved even more crucial to maintaining the lead.
They combined for five of Vegas’ 18 blocked shots, with Martinez claiming four. After being a healthy scratch in Game 1, Martinez made the Game 2 highlight reel when he stymied a Dallas chance late by diving to the ice while sliding his stick below his feet to knock away the puck.
“Structure-wise and our guys’ discipline and how we want to play, we’ve really seen a level of commitment from the guys to get it done,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said.
The Stars haven’t gotten as big of moments out of its players found further down the depth chart. Whereas the Golden Knights managed to take Game 2 by continuing to roll its usual lines, the Stars jumbled their groups in search of answers when they lost the lead.
Dallas’ role players looked content standing down and trying to let its top goal-scorers like Jason Robertson and Wyatt Johnston single-handedly mount a comeback offensively.
Seventeen different players have attempted a shot for the Golden Knights in the series, per Natural Stat Trick, to only 13 for the Stars.
It’s not a huge difference, but just another sign of Vegas outdoing Dallas in a department that usually belongs to the latter.
It may not be any easier for the Stars to get back to their identity in Game 3 either because of a pair of injuries. Both second-line winger Mason Marchment and fourth-line center Radek Faksa left Game 2 with injuries to leave their status going forward in question.
Dallas lost the fifth fewest games to injury this regular season, according to NHL Injury Viz, while Vegas suffered the most attrition in the league.
The Golden Knights have taken away a lot of the Stars’ trademarks so far, but the next task might be the toughest — slowing the latter’s season-long success on the road. Dallas had the best road record in the NHL this season at 26-10-5.
DeBoer said he thought his team’s style traveled well, and he had no reason to believe his players couldn’t shake off the slow start and find themselves at T-Mobile. He’s found ways to galvanize his team all year, and has no reason to believe a two-game blip means they’ve lost the attributes that have made them special.
“We’ve been a great road team all year, so we’ve just got to go and do it,” DeBoer said. “It doesn’t feel good today, the hole we’re in. I think when you remove yourself from the emotion of it and look at the actual underlying numbers and things, the margins are razor thin.”
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or
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