Dellandrea's late pair helps Stars stun Golden Knights, force Game 6
Ty Dellandrea scored two goals in under 90 seconds to break a third-period tie as his Dallas Stars prevailed 4-2 over the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final on Saturday night.
The Stars cut the Golden Knights' series lead to 3-2, with Game 6 scheduled for Monday. Dallas will have Jamie Benn back, as the captain has now served his two-game suspension for cross-checking Vegas captain Mark Stone in Game 3.
Dellandrea gave the Stars a one-goal advantage just over halfway through the final frame before burying a loose puck to pad the lead.
TWO GOALS IN 87 SECONDS AS DALLAS TAKES CONTROL OF GAME 5 pic.twitter.com/hLpuaNoZik
- ESPN (@espn) May 28, 2023
Dellandrea posted his first career multi-goal game, including both regular-season and playoff contests.
The forward, who'll turn 23 in July, was a healthy scratch for the Stars' Game 7 win over the Seattle Kraken in the previous round and the first two games of the conference final.
Dellandrea said after Saturday night's victory that Joe Pavelski took him aside following the decisive win over the Kraken and told him the veteran had experienced a similar situation, according to The Athletic's Saad Yousuf.
Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger stopped 27 of 29 shots for the win and continued his run of excellence when Dallas' season has been on the verge of ending.
Stars Jake Oettinger this postseason when facing elimination
- Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) May 28, 2023
3-0 Record
1.64 GAA
.945 Save %#TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/GwHBt44Xjj
"Money. Money. I wouldn't want to be playing against him," Stars head coach Peter DeBoer said postgame, per The Athletic's Jesse Granger.
Golden Knights netminder Adin Hill made a pair of highlight-reel saves and kept his club in it until Dellandrea broke it open.
The Stars tied the game twice shortly after the Golden Knights scored. Vegas forward Ivan Barbashev broke the ice with under seven minutes left in the first period, but Luke Glendening evened it up 1:48 later. Then, in the second stanza, Chandler Stephenson gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead just over three minutes into the frame, but Jason Robertson equalized two minutes and nine seconds after that.
Game 7 would take place Wednesday if necessary.
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