West Final preview: High-flying Golden Knights take on surging Stars

The Vegas Golden Knights and Dallas Stars both left it late in Round 2 but moved on to the Western Conference Final by edging out their respective opponents in pivotal Game 7s.

Vegas finished the 2019-20 regular season with the third-best record in the West, while Dallas finished with the fourth. With two dynamic teams set to butt heads for a chance to play for the Stanley Cup, let's take a look at the upcoming series.

Schedule

* - If necessary

Tale of the tape

How they got here

Stars: Dallas didn't look very threatening in the round robin, finishing 1-2 and scoring just five goals. It seemed like the Stars were headed toward an early exit after dropping two of the first three games of their opening-round series against the Calgary Flames. Then they flipped the switch.

Since Game 4 of that series, the Stars have scored an impressive 42 goals in 10 games.

After going up 3-1 against the Colorado Avalanche, the Stars hit a speed bump and ultimately needed seven games and overtime in the deciding match to advance.

Golden Knights: Vegas was one of the league's hottest teams toward the end of the regular season, finishing the year with 11 wins in 13 games. They nabbed the top seed in the round robin with a perfect 3-0 record and took care of the Chicago Blackhawks in five games in Round 1.

Vegas looked like it was in for another quick series after going up 3-1 against the Vancouver Canucks in Round 2, but Thatcher Demko stepped into the crease and nearly stole the series.

The Golden Knights managed 273 shots on goal in the second-round series but only potted 19 goals. They dominated the Canucks in nearly every facet of the game but ultimately needed an exhausting extra few games to progress.

Key players to watch

Miro Heiskanen

Many people were already aware of his special talent, but this postseason has really felt like Heiskanen's true coming-out party. The 21-year-old Finnish phenomenon has been electric since the beginning of the postseason and is one of the main reasons the Stars find themselves a step away from the Stanley Cup Final.

He leads all active players in these playoffs with 21 points and has been Dallas' best player by far, getting things done on both ends of the ice.

Mark Stone

Stone has continued to show through this postseason that he's one of the league's best all-around players. He's contributed six goals and nine assists in 15 games for Vegas thus far, but his contributions go much deeper than his point totals.

At even strength, Stone owns a 60.93 Corsi For rating and a 69.69 expected goals for percentage. His team has generated 72 high-danger scoring chances with him on the ice and conceded just 43 against. His 13 takeaways rank fourth among all forwards. Opponents need to keep an eye on him at all times when he's on the ice, as he simply does it all.

Dallas can win if ...

As obvious as it sounds, the Stars simply need to continue scoring. With goaltender Anton Khudobin expected to carry the load in net, Dallas will need to continue to support him as much as possible - they surrendered 29 goals - 4.14 per game - to the Avalanche last round.

Between the regular season and postseason, Khudobin has already played in 44 games - exceeding his career high of 41 last season. Fatigue is likely to set in while Ben Bishop remains unfit to play, so Dallas will need to step up in front of him.

The Stars ranked 28th in the league in goals per game (2.58) during the regular season, so they'll need to build on their newfound scoring touch if they want a shot at toppling Vegas.

Vegas can win if ...

The Golden Knights have been doing almost everything right so far this postseason. At five-on-five, Vegas leads all postseason teams with a 60.62 Corsi For rating and 64.11 expected goals for percentage. The Golden Knights control play at both ends and don't give teams much room to breathe.

If there's one thing to point out, it's that Vegas needs to continue to ride Robin Lehner in net. He's a key reason why the team has allowed so few goals this postseason, and he certainly can't be blamed for Vegas' losses against Vancouver. He gives the Golden Knights the best chance to win, and it seems he has their full trust. Marc-Andre Fleury has been the No. 1 starter since the team's inception in 2017, but Lehner's been spectacular since arriving at the trade deadline. He's started 12 of his team's 15 games this postseason, and that shouldn't change moving forward.

X-factors

Tyler Seguin

After one of the quietest regular seasons of his career, Seguin hasn't been his usual dynamic self this postseason, either. He's totaled just two goals and five assists through 15 games, so the Stars would greatly benefit if the 28-year-old can break through this series.

Joe Pavelski, Alexander Radulov, Denis Gurianov, and Jamie Benn have combined for 28 of Dallas' 53 goals this postseason. If Seguin can regain his scoring touch, Vegas could struggle to contain the Stars' offense.

Shea Theodore

Theodore is quietly leading the Golden Knights in points with 16. He was the only player able to score a goal - he did so twice - on Demko last series. He sits third on the team with 22:20 minutes of ice time per game. It may not be obvious, but Theodore has been vital to the Golden Knights' success.

His 69.70 expected goals for percentage at five-on-five ranks first among all defensemen this postseason. He's helped generate 86 high-danger scoring chances at five-on-five, which ranks first among all skaters. He's been nothing short of incredible this postseason, and if he can maintain his momentum, Vegas will find itself in a good position to advance.