The Dallas Stars avoided elimination for the second consecutive time after defeating the Vegas Golden Knights 4-2 yesterday on their own ice. The series is moving back to Dallas, where the hosting team will try to tie the series after getting into a 3-0 hole earlier this week.
The main hero of the game was Dallas’ forward Ty Dellandrea, who scored two goals in the third period, giving his team a much-needed win. Dellandrea missed the two first games of the Western Conference Final in Vegas, but was given a bigger role on his team with Jamie Benn and Evgenii Dadonov out of the roster.
Jason Robertson and Luke Glendening scored two other goals for Dallas, while Ivan Barbashev and Chandler Stephenson got on the scoreboard for Vegas.
Hockey News
Team USA will be returning home without the World Championship’s gold medal again after they lost to Germany in a semifinal game yesterday. A Tampa Bay Lightning player Michael Eyssimont scored a go-ahead goal in the second period, but Germany managed to tie the game with 1:22 left in the third period and Frederik Tiffels scored an overtime goal, which propelled Germany to the Gold Medal Game.
In the other semifinal game, Canada defeated Latvia, advancing to their fourth consecutive final game at the World Championship. Adam Fantilli scored potentially the best goal of the tournament. A Lightning forward Rudolfs Balcers also scored a goal for Latvia.
The Buffalo Sabres signed a defenseman Ryan Johnson to a two-year, entry-level contract. He will report to the Rochester Americans [NHL.com]
The Sabres selected Johnson during the first round (31st overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft. His senior season at the University of Minnesota ended with an overtime loss to Quinnipiac in the national championship game in April.
Johnson, 21, had 18 points (4+14) in 40 games as a senior. His plus-22 rating was a career best and ranked 13th among NCAA defensemen.
Johnson’s resume includes All-Big Ten honorable mention selections (including this season), three straight selections to the Academic All-Big Ten Team, and a gold medal with Team USA at the 2021 World Junior Championship.
