The NHL playoffs are down to the final four teams. The Western Conference Final features the Las Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars.
Vegas beat the Vancouver Canucks 3-0 in Game 7 of the Western Conference semi-final. Defenseman Shea Theodore scored the winner with 6:08 remaining in the third period before Alex Tuch and Paul Stasny added empty-netters to close out the Canucks. Goaltender Robin Lehner had a relatively easy game against Vancouver, making 14 saves for the shutout. Although Lehner wasn’t tested often, he made a game-saving stop on Canucks’ forward Brock Boeser to keep it scoreless.
The Dallas Stars had an unlikely hero in Game 7 of their series against the Colorado Avalanche. Left-winger Joel Kiviranta scored three times, including the overtime winner to give the Stars a 5-4 win. It was just Kiviranta’s third appearance in the postseason, but he definitely earned himself another game with his performance.
This series will come down to goaltending. The combination of Lehner and veteran cup-winner Marc-Andre Fleury gives the Knights an advantage over the Stars, whose goaltending duo is Anton Khudobin and Ben Bishop. Both teams are deep, skilled and fast, so goaltending will be a premium.
Khudobin has held opponents to less than three goals fives times in 14 playoff games, while Lehner has three shutouts so far.
Here is how to watch today’s game:
Western Conference Final, Game 1: Dallas Stars vs. Las Vegas Golden Knights
Time: 5:00 p.m. PT
TV: NBC
Which teams will win the game today?
Join in the discussion throughout the day in the comments below!
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