The Stars outscored the Lightning 3-1 and outshot them 18-14 through two periods. Tampa Bay outshot Dallas 22-2 in the third but couldn't score.
"We didn't have our legs, and we didn't have our minds, and sometimes you can get away without having one of those, but you can't get away with not having both," Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said Sunday.
Sounds familiar.
"It's one game, but we've learned a lot about our opponent already and now we know what to expect and we know what we're in for," Lightning forward Blake Coleman said Sunday.
Sounds familiar.
"You've got to get to the inside on these guys," Cooper said. "You've got to take eyes away. When the goalie can see the puck in this league, usually, they're pretty much stopping all of those. You have to make it disruptive. You have to make them uncomfortable in their surroundings. …
"Basically, they defend well, they get in lanes, and they make it hard on you, and when you do get your opportunities, you have to capitalize."
That sounds familiar too.
"I think Vegas, probably one of the things that was frustrating for them at times is they had a bunch of guys used to scoring that weren't," Cooper said. "And the big thing is you have to just keep fighting through that, because when guys are used to doing something and it's not happening for them, that's when it can disrupt their game.
"The one thing for us is we've had to fight through that in three series now against some defensive teams."
True, and that could be the difference.
The Golden Knights played the 16th- and 21st-best defensive teams in the regular season in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs: the Chicago Blackhawks (3.06 goals against per game) and Vancouver Canucks (3.10).
To them, Dallas presented a different challenge. The Stars were the second-best defensive team in the regular season (2.52).
The Lightning, the best offensive team in the regular season (3.47), have played the third-, first- and ninth-ranked defensive teams in the regular season in the first three rounds: the Columbus Blue Jackets (2.61), Boston Bruins (2.39) and Islanders (2.79).
To them, Dallas could be, should be, more of the same challenge. We'll see.
"We just have to fight through this and go to those dirty areas and, like I said, make the game uncomfortable for them," Cooper said.
Vegas will tell you that's easier said than done.