Golden Knights, Stars Take Center Stage In 2023 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs – Western Conference Final Opener Tonight

By NHL Public Relations

May 19, 2023

The Stars and Golden Knights are set to face off at T-Mobile Arena for Game 1 of their rematch of the 2020 Western Conference Final.

Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz, familiar foes of Vegas, will look to repeat history by helping the Stars advance past the club en route to their second Stanley Cup Final in three years while new faces Alex Pietrangelo and Jack Eichel aim to turn the tables in favor of the Golden Knights.

Pavelski (8-2—10 in 8 GP) enters the game with eight goals in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Should he score twice in Game 1, Pavelski would become the fifth player in 30 years to reach 10 goals in nine games or fewer in a single postseason – he would join Leon Draisaitl (7 GP in 2023), Joe Sakic (9 GP in 1996), Jaromir Jagr (9 GP in 1995) and Ray Ferraro (9 GP in 1993).

Roope Hintz (9-10—19 in 13 GP) needs one point to tie Connor McDavid (8-12—20 in 12 GP) for the most during the 2023 postseason. Hintz can become just the third player in Stars/North Stars history to reach the 20-point mark in 14 or fewer games – he would join Steve Payne (13 GP in 1981), Brian Bellows (14 GP in 1991) and Bobby Smith (14 GP in 1981).

Pietrangelo, who signed with Vegas a month after its Western Conference Final loss in 2020, has experience facing Dallas in the postseason – he was captain of the Blues when they defeated the Stars en route to their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2019 (4-3 W in R2). The veteran led all defensemen in points during the 2019 postseason and scored the Stanley Cup-clinching goal against the Bruins in Game 7.

Eichel (6-8—14 in 11 GP) leads Vegas in goals (tied), assists and points this postseason after also finishing the regular season with the team lead in points. The only players in Golden Knights franchise history with more goals than Eichel in a single playoff year are Alex Tuch (8 in 2020), Jonathan Marchessault (8 in 2018), Shea Theodore (7 in 2020), William Karlsson (7 in 2018) and Mark Stone (7 in 2020).