STARS AIM TO EVEN SERIES WHILE VEGAS VIES FOR STANLEY CUP FINAL BERTH
The Western Conference Final shifts back to Dallas on Monday, where Jason Robertson and the Stars will look to even the series in front of their home crowd when they host Jonathan Marchessault and the Golden Knights, who are just one win shy of a Stanley Cup Final berth. Dallas owns an all-time record of 18-16 at home when facing elimination while Vegas is 4-6 in potential series-clinching games on the road.

* Robertson, who scored two tying tallies in Game 4 and one in Game 5, has three career goals in contests when facing elimination, all of which have come during the 2023 Western Conference Final. Should he score again in Game 6, Robertson can become the first player in Stars team history with four goals in games when facing elimination in a single playoff year – the only other skaters to score three with Dallas are Joel Kiviranta (2020), Niko Kapanen (2003) and Jamie Langenbrunner (1999).

STARS CAN BECOME FIRST TEAM TO OVERCOME 3-0 DEFICIT TO SECURE SPOT IN FINAL

The Stars are the fifth team in NHL history to force at least a Game 6 after trailing 3-0 in a Conference Finals or Semifinals series and the only franchise to achieve the feat twice. Dallas will now look to become the third team in NHL history to force a Game 7 for a spot in the Stanley Cup Final after facing a 3-0 series deficit in that round – a feat last achieved 48 years ago.

2008 Western Conference Final: Fifteen years ago, MartyTurco and Mike Modano rallied the Stars to consecutive wins against the Red Wings in Games 4 and 5, with Turco stopping 71 of 73 shots against across the two wins. Modano (Game 4) and Joel Lundqvist (Game 5) accounted for the game-winning goals. Lundqvist, the twin brother of Henrik Lundqvist, shared the team lead with two points over those two contests before Dallas’ eventual defeat in Game 6 at American Airlines Center.

1980 Semifinals: With a 3-0 series deficit looming and the Islanders leading 3-1 in the second period of Game 4, teammates Derek Smith and Gilbert Perreault each put up four points to rally the Sabres to victory and extend the series. Bob Sauve then posted a shutout in Game 5 on home ice to send the series back to Long Island, where Perreault spotted Buffalo to a 2-0 lead before the Islanders staged a multi-goal comeback victory to advance (en route to their first of four straight Stanley Cup wins).

1975 Semifinals: During their first-ever trip to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Islanders lost the first three games in their series against the reigning Stanley Cup champion Flyers and then surrendered a 3-0 lead while facing elimination in Game 4. Jude Drouin provided the overtime heroics to extend the series and Glenn “Chico” Resch allowed only two goals over the next two contests to push the series to seven games.

1939 Semifinals: The Rangers became the first team in NHL history to force at least a Game 6 after facing a 3-0 series deficit, edging the Bruins with 2-1 victories in Game 4 at home and Game 5 at Boston Garden. Lynn Patrick factored on the winning goal in each of those contests and New York then staged a comeback win in Game 6, setting up the first Game 7 in NHL history (an eventual triple-overtime defeat).

STANLEY CUP FINAL PLAYER TO WATCH: MATTHEW TKACHUK

Matthew Tkachuk, fresh off of joining the NBA on TNT panel on Saturday during the Miami Heat game, is five days away from his first-ever Stanley Cup Final appearance when Game 1 drops June 3 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT, Sportsnet and TVA Sports. The Panthers forward has already accumulated a number of achievements through the first three rounds of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs – Tkachuk’s point total sits second in the League for scoring (9-12—21 in 16 GP) and he is averaging 1.31 points per game after producing at a 0.833 pace last postseason with Calgary (4-6—10 in 12 GP).

* Tkachuk has already established the Panthers record for most points in a playoff year and sits tied for the third-most career postseason points despite only joining Florida during the offseason. He enters the Stanley Cup Final one goal away from tying Dave Lowry for the most in a playoff year in franchise history.

* Tkachuk capped the 2023 Eastern Conference Final by tying the NHL record for the latest series-clinching goal after scoring with five seconds remaining in regulation, a mark set by Nick Metz during Game 6 of the 1942 Semifinals. With that, he concluded the Conference Finals having factored on all four game-winning goals (3-1—4) and became the sixth player in NHL history to record a point on all four tallies in the penultimate round of the playoffs, joining Yvan Cournoyer (1-3—4 w/ MTL in 1976), Mike Bossy (4-0—4 w/ NYI in 1983), Ray Bourque (1-3—4 w/ BOS in 1988), Wayne Gretzky (2-2—4 w/ LAK in 1993) and Ondrej Palat (2-2—4 w/ TBL in 2022).

* Tkachuk factored on the game-winning goal eight times this postseason and should he do so twice more during the Stanley Cup Final he could tie the NHL record. The only players in NHL history to do so more times in a playoff year than Tkachuk are Brad Richards (10x in 2004), Gretzky (10x in 1985), Jonathan Toews (9x in 2010), Jarome Iginla (9x in 2004) and Mario Lemieux (9x in 1992).

* Tkachuk (49-81—130 in 94 GP) will enter the Stanley Cup Final with 130 points in his first season with the Panthers (regular season & playoffs combined). Only two players in NHL history have had more points in their first season with a franchise: Gretzky (190 in 1988-89 w/ LAK & 140 in 1979-80 w/ EDM) and Teemu Selanne (138 in 1992-93 w/ WIN).

QUICK CLICKS

* Stars create 'dramatic shift in pressure' with Game 5 victory

* Dudley Morine "Red" Garrett of Rangers, World War II hero, remembered on Memorial Day

* 60 Diamonds: Greatest picks from 60 NHL Drafts, Nos. 60-51
* Cutter Gauthier gains valuable experience with United States at Worlds
* Panthers see positives of long wait before Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final

Thanks to the NHL PR department for the information above.