Hit show?: Reaves' return could crank up heat between Stars, Knights

Game 2: Stars vs. Golden Knights (Dallas leads 1-0)

Ryan Reaves is an interesting player.
He has just four assists in 15 playoff games and averages 9:27 in time on ice -- second lowest among Vegas regulars. Yet, he is an imposing physical presence and provides an immense amount of energy for the Golden Knights.
So when Reaves was suspended from Game 1 of the Western Conference Final because of an illegal hit in Game 7 against Vancouver, it made an impact. Vegas seemed flat and struggled early against the Stars in a 1-0 loss.
"I think everyone knows what Ryan Reaves brings," Vegas coach Peter DeBoer said Monday. "He brings physicality, but he brings energy to our group, too. He creates a certain amount of room for people on the ice. He's a big piece of our group. It's not why we lost last night. I think it's an easy excuse. I think guys have to be better and guys have to jump in and get the job done, and we know that. But having him back, he's an important part of our team."
The Stars definitely gained a big advantage when they won Game 1. The Golden Knights are favored to win this series, and they now face the specter of going down 2-0 on Tuesday night. Teams that win Game 1 of a conference finals series go on to win the series 63.5 percent of the time, so the Stars can expect a motivated team right out of the gate.

And there's a very good chance Reaves will be on the ice to start the game, because that's usually the choice DeBoer makes.
"Ryan brings a lot to our team, a lot of energy, a lot of juice for us," Vegas defenseman Brayden McNabb said. "Obviously he's physical, and they're a heavier team, so having him back in the lineup is going to be a huge bonus for us. If you can get in on the forecheck, get some hits, it's big momentum for our team."
In Game 1, Dallas had 49 hits and Vegas 47, so it's expected that a series that is already physical will only get rougher.
"It's just fun," Stars forward Jason Dickinson said. "I think we've got a lot of big guys that play with a lot of edge and a lot of intensity that, in order for them to play at their best, they have to be hitting and they have to be on the body because it creates energy for themselves and a little bit more emotion, which often elevates other elements of your game."

Stars still a team that can shut things down

While Dallas is allowing 3.29 goals per game in the playoffs, they still have the ability to shut things down. Dallas ranked second in the NHL in goals against during the regular season (2.52 goals per game) and shut out the Golden Knights in Game 1 of the series.
Stars interim coach Rick Bowness said that his team was basically playing the same kind of game as it did during the Calgary and Colorado series, but that both goalies simply stepped up.
"I don't think we did anything different, the pucks just weren't going in," Bowness said. "We had some great looks. Sometimes, you just give the goalie a pat on the back. The way we have to play to create the five goals or to create the one goal is the same. Sometimes the puck goes in, sometimes it doesn't."

The Golden Knights said the Stars do a good job of limiting chances.
"They pack it in," Vegas forward Mark Stone said. "They're a good defensive team. They block a lot of shots and they play as a five-man unit, so you've got to get two, three guys in on the forecheck and use your defense as a five-man unit. When you can kind of get them spread out, I think that'll help us offensively."
DeBoer said that whatever Dallas has done in the playoffs, they are a good defensive team.
"Vancouver defended really well but didn't have that heaviness that Dallas has," DeBoer said. "We know now what we're dealing with, and it's on us to respond to that. This is going to be a different series, and we're going to have to get our head around that and find a way to create offense."

Bowness: 'Tough decision' part of job

Andrew Cogliano missed Game 7 against Colorado with a rare injury, and that opened the door for Joel Kiviranta to take his place and score a hat trick. Kiviranta's performance allowed him the opportunity to play in Game 1 against Vegas. He responded with three shots on goal and five hits in 12:35 of ice time.
That means that he'll probably stay in the lineup for Game 2 Tuesday.
If he does, Cogliano could be a healthy scratch for the second consecutive playoff game. Before Game 7, he had never missed a playoff game in 92 opportunities.
"That's a very tough decision on Cogs," Bowness said. "He's been a huge part of this team since we got him, a big part of the veteran group."
Bowness said he likes Jamie Benn playing in Cogliano's spot and also likes Mattias Janmark with Joe Pavelski. Kiviranta is a good fit with Roope Hintz and Denis Gurianov, and Jason Dickinson is solid on his line because now Tyler Seguin can jump into the center spot.
"If you go down the left side: Jamie Benn, Janny has played very well with Pavelski so there's a duo you like there, and Dicky gives us that versatility that he can play center or wing. So that's a very tough decision, but sometimes you have to make the right decision."
Bowness said it was tough to tell Cogliano, but that the 33-year-old forward has been good at handling the decision.
"It's a terrible feeling to have to tell a veteran like Cogs that he's not playing," Bowness said. "But he's a true pro and he just accepted it. He wanted to be out there for the warm-up in case someone is not ready to go. Give him full marks for being a great teammate.

By the numbers

11

In 29 career regular season games against the Stars, Reaves has three goals, one assist and just 11 penalty minutes. Reaves has averaged 8:08 in ice time in those games.

13

That's the number of points for Vegas forward Reilly Smith, who has four goals and nine assists in 16 games played this playoffs. Smith, who was drafted by the Stars in 2009 and was part of the Seguin trade, has 54 points (18 goals, 36 assists) in 61 career playoff games.

76

That's the number of hits for Stars defensemen Jamie Oleksiak, second most in the playoffs. Reaves is third at 74.

He said it

"We're very comfortable with a one-goal lead. We're very comfortable if we're down a goal or two. We trust the way we play, we trust each other, which is huge. The score, the time on the clock, we're not intimidated by it. We just know how to stay in the moment and play through it."
-- Bowness on the fact his team is 7-1 in 1-goal games during the playoffs

Stars projected lineup

Joel Kiviranta - Roope Hintz - Denis Gurianov
Mattias Janmark - Joe Pavelski - Alexander Radulov
Jamie Benn - Radek Faksa - Blake Comeau
Jason Dickinson - Tyler Seguin - Corey Perry
Esa Lindell - John Klingberg
Jamie Oleksiak - Miro Heiskanen
Joel Hanley - Andrej Sekera
Anton Khudobin
Jake Oettinger
Unfit to play: Stephen Johns, Ben Bishop, Taylor Fedun
Scratched:Andrew Cogliano, Justin Dowling, Jason Robertson, Ty Dellandrea, Thomas Harley, Joel Kiviranta, Nick Caamano, Gavin Bayreuther, Landon Bow.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Mike Heikais a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.