Knights thrash Stars in Game 6, to vie for Stanley Cup vs Panthers

The Vegas Golden Knights are off to the Stanley Cup Final for the second time in franchise history after closing out the Western

Conference finals with a 6-0 road victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 6 late Monday.

William Karlsson scored twice in a three-point game while William Carrier, Keegan Kolesar and Michael Amadio all collected one goal and one assist for Vegas, which won the best-of-seven series 4-2.

The Golden Knights will face the Florida Panthers in the finals beginning Saturday in Las Vegas.

Jonathan Marchessault scored once, Reilly Smith had two assists and goalie Adin Hill made 23 saves to record his second playoff shutout for Vegas.

The Golden Knights lost to the Washington Capitals in the championship round in their inaugural 2017/18 season. The Panthers are also in the finals for the second time in franchise history. Florida lost to the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, their third season.

Vegas was also the Western

Conference’s regular-season champions. Florida claimed the second and final Eastern Conference wild-card berth.

Jake Oettinger stopped 23 shots for the Stars, who lost the first three games of the series before winning twice in a comeback attempt that fell short and ended with a thud.

Dallas won both games without captain Jamie Benn in the lineup and lost all four with him, including the clinching contest after he returned from a twogame suspension.

Coming off those two losses, Vegas was able to regain momentum and ride a quick start.

“We’ve been through a lot in four years here, a lot of heartbreak along the way,” said the Knights’ Mark Stone after the clinching victory. “We’ve battled through a lot of stuff, and I don’t think a lot of people were picking us to get here this season.” (Reuters)