Stars eliminate defending Stanley Cup champions Golden Knights

Radek Faksa broke a tie in his return to the Stars roster, Wyatt Johnston notched in another Game 7, and the Dallas Stars won against the defending Stanley Cup champ Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX, to clinch the 1^st-round matchup.

After being unable to play with an undisclosed problem since leaving the bench near the end of Game 2, Faksa notched less than a minute into the 3^rd period with a backhander from the circle to the left of goaltender Adin Hill.

'Night, Knights. @Lexus | #TexasHockey pic.twitter.com/T4lO4vOwpJ

— z – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 6, 2024

Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger stopped 21 shots in his 2^nd Game 7 win. The goalie also had Dallas’ only penalty, though they killed that off after he was called for tripping Ivan Barbashev in the middle of the 3^rd quarter.

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Dallas, the top seed in the Western Conference, will face Avalanche in the 2nd round, with the 1^st 2 matches at American Airlines Center. Colorado clinched their matchup vs. the Jets with a Game 5 win a few days ago.

A valiant effort and incredible series 🤝 @GoldenKnights pic.twitter.com/2WKuYlBPgb

— z – Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) May 6, 2024

Brett Howden notched for the Golden Knights, which failed to secure another matchup winner in Texas, where in the past season Vegas clinched the West Conference Final with a victory in Game 6. Adin stopped 22 shots in his 3^rd match of this matchup after Logan Thompson began from the 1^st minute on the ice the 1^st 4.