Golden Knights’ next opponent changes identity in NHL playoffs

The Dallas Stars are the only team between the Golden Knights and a second trip to the Stanley Cup Final in three years.

The Stars advanced to the Western Conference Final on Friday with a 5-4 Game 7 overtime victory over the Colorado Avalanche. They will meet the Knights for the first time in a playoff series, though the teams squared off this postseason in the round robin Aug. 3.

The Knights won 5-3 after outscoring Dallas 4-0 in the third period.

Game 1 of the Western Conference Final will begin 5 p.m. Sunday on KSNV-3.

The Stars have not reached the conference finals since 2008. They did so this season after completely changing their identity once they reached the NHL’s secure zone in Edmonton, Alberta.

The regular-season Stars were a good but not exciting team. They finished with the fourth-most points in the Western Conference while ranking 26th in offense and second in defense.

They’ve used an entirely different formula in the playoffs. Dallas ranks fourth in scoring in the postseason and 20th in defense. No. 1 goaltender Ben Bishop has appeared in only three games, which has hurt, but the team is suddenly playing high-event hockey.

It has worked. The Stars finished 1-2 in the round robin, but defeated the Calgary Flames in six games and the Avalanche in seven. A team that could have potentially gone adrift when coach Jim Montgomery was fired in December is suddenly one of the final four standing.

One of the biggest reasons for the change is how involved Dallas’ defensemen now are in the attack. The Stars ranked 20th in points by defensemen in the regular season. In the playoffs, they are first.

Second-year stud Miro Heiskanen is a key part of that. The 21-year-old has 21 points, tied for second-most among all players and most among defensemen.

John Klingberg (12 points), Jamie Oleksiak (six points) and Esa Lindell (five points) have also contributed from the blue line.

Dallas has received plenty of contributions from its veteran forward group, too. Second-line right wing Denis Gurianov has eight playoff goals, tied for the fourth-most in the playoffs with teammate Joe Pavelski.

Pavelski, the San Jose Sharks’ captain for four seasons under coach Pete DeBoer, who now coaches the Knights, joined the Stars as a free agent this offseason to chase his first Stanley Cup.

Another key part of the Dallas attack is its first line of captain Jamie Benn (13 points), center Tyler Seguin (seven points) and right wing Alexander Radulov (11 points).

With Bishop, a three-time Vezina Trophy finalist, largely unavailable, the Stars have relied on backup Anton Khudobin. The 33-year-old is 8-5 since the restart with a .909 save percentage and 2.94 goals-against average.

The Stars also have the fifth-ranked power play in the postseason at 28.3 percent. Their penalty kill ranks 10th at 82.8 percent.

Dallas played the Knights twice at home in the regular season before their round-robin meeting. The Stars beat Malcolm Subban in the first game 4-2 on Nov. 25. The Knights won the second game in overtime Dec. 13 on a goal from left wing Max Pacioretty.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.