3 Things the Stars Need to Do Better After Game 1

Three things stood out and were part of the reason they were so slow to catch up. If they want a better result in Game 2, here is what they need to fix.

Outwork the Golden Knights’ Defense

Despite outshooting the Golden Knights 29-15, the Stars were almost even for the first period in shots (10-8). Within those eight shots, they allowed three goals in the first and could only score two, which won’t work. The Stars had possession in the faceoff dot for most of the game. They were successful at offensive, neutral, and defensive zone faceoffs but were still being outworked, which does not add up considering the amount of experienced and skillful talent they have on their team. When your offensive lineup has an average age of 29 against a defensive Golden Knights lineup of 30, they should be outworking them.

The Stars began outshooting the Golden Knights in the second and third periods and made a great run that could’ve tied up the game. However, the upside of the Golden Knights having a predominantly veteran lineup is that they know what is coming and know how to shut down, which is why they led in blocked shots 20-15. The Golden Knights also ranked third in the league in blocks during the regular season, so simply shooting will not work. So, what exactly do the Stars need to do to get around this heavy shot-blocking team? The Golden Knights are so good at blocking shots because of their positioning, setting up in front of the shooters on the blue line, and allowing their forwards to pick up the blocked loose puck to counter.

The crack in the Golden Knights’ armor was shown by Mason Marchment when he scored the third goal of the game for Dallas. It went through two Golden Knights players and off goaltender Logan Thompson. It’s clear that in that play, Thompson was expecting a blocked shot, but Marchment’s shot squeaked through. Also, no one is back to cover, so the Stars should use their quickest players to attack the offensive zone and push through for a potential chance on goal. Robertson’s goal in the third period demonstrated that when Stars forward Logan Stankoven stripped the puck off Golden Knights forward Mark Stone and made the pass to Robertson. The Golden Knights also had a problem containing Robertson in the 2023 Western Conference Final, allowing Robertson to score five goals.

Having a guy like Joe Pavelski show up would’ve helped, too, as he is one of the NHL’s most dominant playoff performers and brings plenty of experience to the lineup for the younger talent on their roster. However, there are still a few more games for the Stars to come back in the series and hopefully flip the script from last season.

Physically Dominated Throughout the Game

The last time these two teams faced each other in the playoffs, the Golden Knights opened the series in the hits column 29-17. Once again, in this game, the Golden Knights led the game with 55 hits as opposed to the Stars’ 33. Outplayed in the corners, the Stars were getting pushed around, and that may have slowed them down in the first as they only recorded 12 hits, while the Golden Knights earned 21 hits. At that point, when your offense is being outhit like that, there must be more pushback, especially when their team is much better than last season in the standings compared to the Golden Knights.

In the second period, despite being down in the game 4-2, the hits were even 12-12, and the Stars looked like they had some life left in them. Again, that’s probably because of their primarily young offense, but they were able to push through and keep up with the Golden Knights at some point in the game. It wasn’t until the third period that they were completely shut down physically. The Golden Knights finished with 22 hits, as opposed to the Stars, who had seven at the end of the third period. For the next game, the Stars need to come out crashing, but the good thing is they have the second game at home and an excellent environment to set the tone.

There should be no reason why a team like the Stars, who went 52-21-9 this season, should be “chasing the game the whole night,” as head coach Peter DeBoer put it. The Stars went 0-2-1 in the season series against the Golden Knights, and they need to start performing like the team they were this regular season. Playing a highly skilled game while being mindful of the playoff aggression the Golden Knights are bringing forward will make them a difficult team to stop.

Take Advantage of the Golden Knights’ Injuries

Mark Stone returned to the Golden Knights lineup after sitting on the long-term injury reserve (LTIR) since February when he suffered a lacerated spleen. He missed 26 games before returning in Game 1. As odd as the timing for Stone’s return sounds, he’s not exactly 100 percent yet, so taking action to push the limits of the Golden Knights has to be critical. However, Stone isn’t the only player who suffered a late-season injury, as Shea Theodore, Tomas Hertl, Jack Eichel, Alex Pietrangelo, Alec Martinez, and Adin Hill all had to miss a significant portion of the season due to injury.

The Stars, on the other hand, have been a reasonably healthy team and have to consider that going into Game 2, and that’s one of the reasons why they are where they are. Having a healthy young team is the most dangerous weapon a team can have going into the playoffs, and once they have that mentality as they advance, I think the Golden Knights we’ll see the Golden Knights’ weaknesses show a lot more.

As the Golden Knights keep using all their effort defensively, they will get burnt by not being fully healthy. If the third line of Jamie Benn, Wyatt Johnston, and Stankoven gets going, that will also slow the Golden Knights’ game pace. The Stars’ power play, which went zero for two in Game 1, can be much more powerful when the Golden Knights are at their worst.