Golden Knights look to increase urgency, desperation after Game 5 loss

LAS VEGAS -- The Vegas Golden Knights failed to put away the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final for the second straight game, and now pressure is starting to shift directions.

With a 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 5 at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday, Vegas has lost consecutive games for the first time in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the first time since March 28-30.

The Golden Knights still lead the best-of-7 series 3-2, but now they have to go back to the American Airlines Center in Dallas to try and close it out Monday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, CBC, SN, TVAS) or return to T-Mobile Arena for Game 7 on Wednesday. The Stars will have captain Jamie Benn back in their lineup after serving his two-game suspension for cross-checking Golden Knights captain Mark Stone 1:53 into Game 3.

"We're in the Western Conference Final, there is pressure on both teams to try and make the Stanley Cup Final," Stone said. "Game 6 is on Monday night and we're going there to win it, so we have to bring our best effort."

After taking a 3-0 lead in the series, the Golden Knights lost Game 4, 3-2 on a power-play goal from Joe Pavelski at 3:18 of overtime. Game 5 was tied 2-2 after two periods before forward Ty Dellandrea, who was a healthy scratch in the first two games of the series, scored twice in the third period.

"I don't think we've brought our best the last two games, but we were still in a good spot to win the game," Stone said. "We have to bring a better effort and start playing a little more desperate. We have to execute better. We're not breaking out [of our zone] well at all. Just execution and winning battles and get the pucks going the other way."

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With the Golden Knights winning the first two games in overtime, they knew the margin of victory was thin, but they failed to match the Stars' desperation level the past two games and are going to be a desperate team themselves.

Only four teams have come back from losing the first three games in a best-of-7 series. The Toronto Maple Leafs did it in the 1942 Final against the Detroit Red Wings, the New York Islanders did it in the 1975 quarterfinals against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Philadelphia Flyers did it against the Boston Bruins in the 2010 Eastern Conference Semifinals, and the Los Angeles Kings did it against the San Jose Sharks in the 2014 Western Conference First Round.

"I don't think we played a full 60 minutes, and I don't think it was necessarily our third [period]. I think it was a lot of different things, one being our start," Golden Knights defenseman Alec Martinez said. "They were hungrier, they won more battles. They've been doing a really good job. We're playing a desperate hockey team. No one said it was going to be easy and we're going to have to match their urgency and desperation."

The Golden Knights are trying to make it to the Cup Final for the second time in their six seasons since joining the NHL as an expansion team in 2017-2018. But the Stars have experience this deep in the playoffs as well, losing in the Cup Final to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020.

"There is no doubt in here there's frustration, obviously, you want to close out a series," Martinez said. "The Dallas Stars are a really good hockey team. This is that time of year and they're playing really well."

For coach Bruce Cassidy, that starts at the opening face-off. Even though the Golden Knights have taken the lead in the past two games, Cassidy believes his team can be better.

"We had 24 giveaways," Cassidy said. "… We're trying to go to the Stanley Cup Final against a desperate team, and to me that's the whole game right there. That falls under urgency. Obviously you're not making the right decision with the puck, you're not supporting it well. It starts right there, that's the first thing we'll go to correct."

Vegas is 2-2 in games where it has the opportunity to close out a series. It defeated the Winnipeg Jets in the first round in five games and the Edmonton Oilers in the second round in six games.

"There is a group of guys that have been here and done this twice," Cassidy said. "They should know the level of urgency it takes to get to the next phase, which is the Final. To me, there is a little bit of us pushing one another. We came right out of the gate against Winnipeg and were not great in this first period. We challenged the group to push each other a little bit and I think that's where we're at now."