NHL playoffs: Golden Knights blow late lead, recover to beat Stars in OT in Game 1

After seeing quadruple overtime on Thursday (and into Friday) in Game 1 the Eastern Conference final, the Dallas Stars and Vegas Golden Knights didn’t want to leave NHL fans feeling ripped off as they opened their series. That said, the Golden Knights mercifully ended Game 1 early in the first overtime, prevailing 4-3 on Friday to take a 1-0 series lead.

Chandler Stephenson and Mark Stone made plenty of plays, then Brett Howden banked the puck off a sprawling Jake Oettinger to score the overtime winner. Howden’s generated three goals so far in the playoffs, largely riding with the cerebral Stone and the speedy Stephenson.

The Golden Knights frequently looked like the superior team in Game 1, but it was far from a sure thing against the Stars. Here's how it all unfolded:

Golden Knights shine in first period, but Stars score the only goal

A lot has changed for both the Stars and Golden Knights since they last met in a conference final (equivalent) back in 2020. Jason Robertson wasn’t even a Stars regular yet, Jack Eichel had yet to appear in a playoff game and Peter DeBoer was completing his first season as Golden Knights head coach.

Yet, the first period brought back memories of certain tendencies for both teams. On one hand the Golden Knights carried much of the play, especially at even strength. Despite creating a flurry of chances, the Golden Knights couldn’t score against Oettinger.

Maybe most frustratingly for Vegas, the 2023 version of the team couldn’t be accused of just getting a volume of chances, as its mixed some quality with quantity. Oettinger had to be alert when Eichel had this breakaway opportunity.

Stone also failed to take advantage of a dangerous odd-man rush/broken play opportunity in the first period. Vegas generated at least a 7-1 shot advantage in the early going, but the Stars eventually started piling up opportunities in part because of two Golden Knights penalties.

Technically, Robertson’s 1-0 goal happened after Dallas’s second opportunity expired, but those chances helped to turn the tide and set the table for this goal.

Even then, there may have been some bad luck for Vegas, as the Zamboni door apparently created an odd bounce in the Stars’ favor.

Too much was probably made about Robertson’s relative struggles, as he’s been getting points (12 in 13 playoff contests before Game 1 of Stars-Golden Knights). That said, as a sniper who netted 46 goals during the regular season, it had to be a relief to score a goal. He settled for zero goals and five assists in that seven-game series versus Seattle.

Vegas’ 5-on-5 brilliance leads to Game 1 tie in second period

More than once, the Golden Knights left the Edmonton Oilers reeling with rapid-firing second periods in their second-round series. Vegas carried over its 5-on-5 mastery into the middle frame in Game 1 against the Stars, eventually getting rewarded for hard work when Zach Whitecloud sent a puck off the board, perfectly (or luckily?) finding William Karlsson for the 1-1 goal.

It looked like the Golden Knights would rattle off two goals in short order. Instead, the score remained tied thanks to Thomas Harley intervening at the nick of time.

While the Stars asked Oettinger to put out plenty of fires, Adin Hill carried over strong play from closing out the Oilers. Ryan Suter’s not exactly the most dangerous shooter on the Stars, but with all of this time and space thanks to what could have been a catastrophic turnover, Hill made this one look easy.

Golden Knights, Stars trade blows to force overtime

Clearly, Karlsson wasn’t done after scoring that 1-1 goal. Just 1:19 into the third period, he netted his second of Game 1 and seventh of the playoffs.

The Golden Knights’ first lead of Game 1 lasted less than three minutes thanks to a Roope Hintz tally (more on that below).

As much as bigger names carried portions of Game 1, Vegas gained a 3-2 lead thanks to unlikely contributor Teddy Blueger. For better or worse, the Stars opted against challenging a goal where Blueger crashed the net and the puck went in amid the chaos.

It seemed like that might end up being the game-winner, but Vegas and Dallas took a page from the East by refusing to relent in a Game 1. Jamie Benn cleaned up a rebound with about two minutes remaining in regulation to tie things up 3-3 and send it to overtime.

Hintz keeps adding to his Conn Smythe resume

With three points on Friday, Hintz leapt over Connor McDavid to lead the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with 22 points. His 10th goal of this run leaves him in pursuit of Leon Draisaitl (13 goals) for the lead in that category. Hintz also produced an assist on the Benn goal that sent Game 1 to OT.

According to Quant Hockey, Miro Heiskanen currently holds the Stars’ franchise record for points in a single playoff run with 26 points in 27 games, although that factors in three preliminary games from the strange 2019-20 “bubble playoffs.” Brett Hull ranks second with 24 points in 23 games from 1999-2000. With the way he’s playing, Hintz has a strong chance to overtake Hull and may even surpass Heiskanen’s mark.

It’s unlikely that any Dallas teammate catches Hintz in this run, as Robertson currently ranks a distant second in Stars playoff scoring with 14 points. Hintz faces stout competition in the early Conn Smythe discussion, but his Game 1 strengthened his argument.