Golden Knights force Game 7 with win over Stars

The defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights staved off elimination with a 2-0 victory in Friday's Game 6 against the Dallas Stars.

Vegas forced a decisive Game 7 in Dallas on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET.

"We're a group that rises to the occasion," Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo said, according to The Athletic's Jesse Granger.

The tight-checking affair was scoreless until the halfway mark of the third period when Noah Hanifin tallied his second goal of the playoffs. Mark Stone added an empty-netter.

"Ever since I got traded here, I was super excited about the opportunity coming to a team with guys that have won," Hanifin told The Associated Press. "It's a great culture here and I'm fortunate to be a part of it. I feel good about my game and I'm trying to contribute whichever way I can."

Adin Hill stopped all 23 shots he faced in his second start of the series. It's the first shutout for a Golden Knights goaltender while facing elimination.

"You need to make big saves at big times in big games," Hill said. "That's how you win playoff games. I think our team learned that last year, and any team that's won, their goalies had to catch fire at times."

Jake Oettinger made 28 saves. He's allowed two or fewer goals in each contest since Game 2.

Stars head coach Peter DeBoer is 7-0 in Game 7s over his career. Two of those do-or-die victories came when he was Vegas' bench boss in 2020 and 2021.

"There's nothing better than Game 7s," DeBoer said. "That's what you grew up dreaming about playing and the second-best thing is coaching in them."