Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) makes a save against the Vegas Golden Knights during the second period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Monday, April 29, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ian Maule)
April 29, 2024 - 9:52 PM
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Wyatt Johnston scored his third goal in two games, and the Dallas Stars beat the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 Monday night to even their first-round NHL playoffs series at two games apiece.
Evgenii Dadonov, Ty Dellandrea and Roope Hintz (empty-netter) also scored for the Stars, and Jake Oettinger made 33 saves.
Michael Amadio and Jack Eichel had goals for the Golden Knights, and Logan Thompson stopped 28 shots. Eichel has scored goals in three consecutive games and has six points in this series.
Game 5 is Wednesday night in Dallas. The road team has won every game.
Both teams were the beneficiaries of goals in the first period the goalies would like to have back.
Amadio squeezed a rebound that trickled past Oettinger with 5:35 left, and 2 1/2 minutes later Dadonov scored from the goal line when the puck went off Thompson's mask into the net. The Knights outshot the Stars 14-8 in the period.
That changed in the second when the Stars outshot Vegas 17-6 and scored twice to take a 3-2 lead.
Eichel knocked in a goal off a rebound 3:09 into the period, and Johnston had a power-play goal off a rebound midway through the period to tie it again. The Stars benefited from a bit of good luck when Craig Smith's shot went off Dellandrea's chest and into the net with 1:26 left.
Content with the lead, the Stars followed the Knights' playbook from the first two games and focused on playing defence in the third period. Even though Vegas outshot Dallas in the third, the Stars repeatedly broke up scoring chances and forced the Knights into difficult shots.
Dallas ended any doubts when Hintz buried an empty-net goal with 1:22 left.
Jamie Benn appeared in his 87th playoff game as the Stars' captain, the most in franchise history. Derian Hatcher, captain of the 1999 Stanley Cup championship team, played in 86 games.
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