Stars' Benn 'feeling energized' after serving 2-game suspension
The Stars won both contests of Jamie Benn's two-game suspension to hang tough against the Vegas Golden Knights, and the captain said he's "feeling energized" and ready to re-enter the fold with the momentum on Dallas' side.
"I was praying we were going to play two solid games just to give me that chance, another kick at it here," Benn said prior to Monday's must-win Game 6. "I'm really proud of the guys."
Benn earned the ban for cross-checking Golden Knights captain Mark Stone in the early goings of Game 3.
The Stars took Game 4 thanks to Joe Pavelski's overtime winner, while Ty Dellandrea's two-goal performance in a 4-2 victory cut the Golden Knights' hold on the Western Conference Final to 3-2.
According to Stars head coach Peter DeBoer, Benn wasn't "a really good spectator" throughout his absence.
"He's an angry bear walking around waiting to play again," DeBoer said Sunday. "I think he's on pins and needles. ... I think he'll be excited to play."
Benn has three goals and eight assists in 16 games this spring. He was the Stars' second-leading scorer (78 points in 82 contests) during the regular season.
On Monday, DeBoer stayed mum on who would come out of the lineup to accommodate Benn's return, but he announced Evgenii Dadonov would miss a third straight game due to a lower-body injury.
When Dadonov and Benn were both out of the lineup, the Stars leaned on Fredrik Olofsson, who performed admirably in his first taste of playoff action. The 27-year-old didn't record a point in Games 4 and 5, but Dallas controlled 63.3% of the shots and 80.4% of the expected goals with Olofsson on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.
"It's a good problem to have," DeBoer said Sunday of his impending lineup decisions. "Your captain's coming back in the lineup, guys have battled their ass off to give him a chance to play again."
For Stars defenseman Thomas Harley, Benn's mission in his return should be simple.
"We just need him to be himself," he said. "He's got a couple extra days of rest, which I think is huge. He's our leader out there, he's our captain, so you know he's going to bring the intensity, and we're just going to follow him."
Puck drops on Game 6 in Dallas at 8 p.m. ET.