By the end of Tuesday night, both conference finals could be over, placing the 2020 Stanley Cup Final near the horizon of the hockey world.
It starts Monday night with Game 5 between the Golden Knights and the Stars. Dallas owns a 3-1 series lead thanks in large part to its defensive effort. Through the first four games of the series, the Stars have allowed just six goals, including a shutout in Game 1 and just one goal against in a 2-1 Game 4 win Saturday. Dallas hasn’t needed a ton of offense this series, but Jamie Benn has provided much of it, with four points (two goals, two assists) through four games. Forward depth could be a concern for the Stars in Game 5, however, with Radek Faksa deemed unfit to play and Roope Hintz’s availability unknown.
Vegas has its own injury concerns after Mark Stone took a Joe Pavelski shot off the foot and appeared to be favoring that foot once he returned to Game 4 in the third period. The Golden Knights may also be without Tomas Nosek, who was injured in Game 3 and did not play in Game 4. According to Natural Stat Trick, Vegas has a 54.05% Corsi-For mark at 5-on-5 play this series along with a 53.97% share of high danger chances. Those possession advantages have not resulted in enough goals, though, as Vegas has scored just three times during on 5-on-5 play in the series.
Monday, Sept. 14
Dallas at Vegas, 7 p.m. (NBCSN, CBC, SN, TVAS)