The Sixteen: Hill Shuts Out Stars to Put Vegas Ahead, 3-0, in West Final

While the Vegas Golden Knights carried a 2-0 series lead into Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, their opponents knew their opportunity had come to get back into the series.

The Dallas Stars dropped Games 1 and 2 of the third round in overtime and were hoping to return home to American Airlines Center ready to bounce back in the series. On the other hand, the Golden Knights wanted their 2-0 series lead and put the Stars on the brink of elimination.

The mood was light for the Golden Knights as they aimed to continue their winning ways as the scene shifted to Dallas.

Just 1:11 into the contest, Jonathan Marchessault fired home his seventh goal of the playoffs to give Vegas a 1-0 lead. As Stars fans booed, Golden Knights fans who gathered in Downtown Summerlin roared their approval as Marchessault continued his stellar series.

Less than a minute after the goal, Dallas captain Jamie Benn brought a hard cross-check down on Mark Stone's neck while Stone was down on the ice. Benn's act of selfish violence yielded a game misconduct, a five-minute power play for the Golden Knights, and later a two-game suspension for the Stars' leader.

Ivan Barbashev converted during the extended power play to give the Golden Knights a 2-0 lead. Just after the penalty ended, William Carrier beat Jake Oettinger upstairs and chased Dallas' starter from the game. Vegas led the game, 3-0, after 20 minutes.

Alex Pietrangelo scored his first goal of the playoffs in the second period to extend the Vegas lead to 4-0. While the Stars tried to use agitation to gain an advantage, the Golden Knights let their cooler heads prevail.

Even with the four-goal lead, Adin Hill made sure the Stars had no hope of a comeback as he finished the game with a 34-save shutout to give Vegas a 3-0 lead in the Western Conference Final.

"He was outstanding and he has been outstanding since he got in against Edmonton," Barbashev said of Hill. "He just makes the save the keep us in the game. Look at the last game in OT - they could have finished it but he made a save, we went the other way and scored. He's a huge part of our team."

Ivan Barbashev's three-point game (1G, 2A) earned him the Elvis wig and glasses as the team's internal MVP.

Scoring Summary:
1st 1:11 | Jonathan Marchessault (7) from Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev
1st 5:57 | Ivan Barbashev (5) from Nicolas Roy (PP)
1st 7:10 | William Carrier (1) from Teddy Blueger, Keegan Kolesar

2nd 8:28 | Alex Pietrangelo (1) from Ivan Barbashev, Nicolas Roy

Vegas Golden Knights

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VGK Today May 24, 2023 | Vegas on the brink of the Stanley Cup Final