Why Las Vegas is a Good Matchup for Dallas in 2027 Stadium Series Game
On January 29th, the news broke that the Dallas Stars would play the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2027 NHL Stadium Series game, to be held at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Arlington, Texas.
It was appropriate timing that this announcement came when Vegas was playing Dallas that night—ironic that it was at their barn, T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Vegas’ First-Ever NHL Game
October 6th, 2017, the Golden Knights played their first NHL regular-season game in team history. Their opponent: the Stars at the AAC. Former Star James Neal scored both goals in the third period for Vegas in a 2-1 loss for the Stars.
Despite the business-as-usual competition, both teams shared a moment of solidarity before the game. Days before the game on October 6th, 2017, there was a mass shooting in Las Vegas as players from both teams stood together under the #VegasStrong theme. A highlight in the rivalry of respect and unity. It’ll forever trump any bad blood of a heated hockey game.
Playoffs
Like former Stars head coach Rick Bowness once said, rivalries are born in the playoffs. Dallas and Vegas have met in the playoffs three times in the 2020s. The Stars took two of three as they went back and forth.
In 2020, it was the Stars and Anton Khudobin who knocked off the Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals in five games. Vegas got the upper hand in 2023 in the West Finals against Dallas on the back of winning games one and two past 60 minutes. Splitting the rest of the way as they won that series in six.
The next year, in 2024, this time a surprising first-round matchup, the Stars prevailed in seven games despite spotting the Golden Knights a two-nil series lead. Radek Faksa is playing the hero in a knockdown, drag-out, low-scoring series.
Mark Stone: The Villain
In the eyes of Stars fans, and really the rest of the NHL, Golden Knights captain Mark Stone is the most hated player in the game today. From exploiting the LTIR loophole to questionable hits, Stone has made a name for himself as one of the league’s biggest villains.
Not only is Stone known as a villain to the rest of the NHL, but he’s also had a bad reputation amongst Stars fans, too. Especially after Miro Heiskanen was injured last year, this caused Heiskanen to miss the next four months after suffering one of the most serious injuries in the sport.
Take It Outside
Dallas and Vegas don’t like each other. Another piece of proof is in the hit column. The Stars play a more physical brand of hockey against Vegas than against most other teams. Vegas is the more physical team between the two. They hit more often on average, and they’re bigger than the Stars. In rivalries, many recurring themes get thrown out the window, though.
It’s worth noting the Stars also had a rare night where they out-hit their opponent in their last meeting with Vegas, 29-26.
So, with a big, physical team like the Golden Knights, enabling a more aggressive side of the Stars, it’s yet another reason to take the intensity outdoors.
Depending on the ice conditions, we might just see a chippy physical game on ice played between two rivals
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Categorized:Stars