Vegas take 2-0 series lead with OT win Game 2 Stars need to find their game at home for Games 3 and 4

Well, at least they are getting shorter. On The Strip, the Vegas Golden Knights made quick work of extra time on Sunday when Chandler Stephenson  picked up a huge rebound on the left side of the cage and put home the game winning goal for a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars.

“It’s my first [playoff overtime goal], so anytime you’re in the playoffs, and watching it growing up, to be able to get a game-winner is pretty special,” Stephenson said. “It hasn’t really hit me yet that it happened. It’s cool and to go up 2-0 is important for our group.”

The goal came just 72 seconds into the extra session.

“You always want to take advantage of home ice,” Vegas forward Jack Eichel said. “Obviously, we know they’re going to come out hard and try to do the same in their home rink. We know that it’s going to be a competitive game.”

The win gives Vegas a 2-0  series lead.

Adin Hill made 26 saves in the4 Vegas win.

Game 3 of the series is in Dallas on Tuesday night.

“That’s part of the playoff journey, the teams that go deep find ways to win in overtime,” Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said. “I really liked our game tonight, thought we did a bunch of really good things, fixed a lot of things from Game 1 (a 4-3 overtime loss). … Our chance in overtime was as good or better than theirs. We just have to stick them in the net.”

Dallas took a 1-0 lead at 2:47 of the opening stanza on a strike by Miro Heiskanen.

“I mean, sure, we could’ve won both games,” DeBoer said. “They held serve at home, we’ve got to go and do the same thing. I don’t think it’s less troubling that we lost both games in overtime. I think the positive piece is that we played a much better game tonight, and if we play that type of game, we’ve got a chance to win when we go home.”

Mark Stone a hit off a 5-on-3 power play goal midway through the  first period for a 1-1 tie.

“We weren’t our best by any means in the first 40 minutes, but we found what makes us a good team in the third,” Eichel said. “We were able to find a way to win.”

Jason Robertson reclaimed the lead for the Stars on a power play just ahead of the midway point of the middle frame and a 2-1 advantage.

“We want to be good on special teams the whole series,” Robertson said. “You’ve got to take what you can; those opportunities don’t come often. We got one, but we need to work on it, keep practicing, work on things and try to get more.”

Dallas held the lead until Jonathan Marchessault  scored with less than three minutes left on the regulation clock in the third period.

“We tried to build in a culture that we’re going to use everybody and rely on everybody,” Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy said. “We’re going to expect our best players to be the best players and followers to follow along and do what they do best. We’re going to give them an opportunity to do that, as well. We’re going to play them so they feel like they have value on the team.”

Marchessault scored off a nifty no-look backhand pass fro Eichel below the Dallas goal line.

“It was just one of those parts of our game plan. It was just a good forecheck,” Marchessault said. “Jack, as usual, just an amazing player who has amazing vision. He threw it out there in the middle. He kind of knew our forecheck routes. I was just passing by and I just had to put it in.”

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Jake Oettinger made 21 saves in the Dallas loss.