The Dallas Stars face elimination in Game 4 of the NHL West Finals against the Vegas Golden Knights.
The Golden Knights lead 1-0 in the first period.
William Karlsson opened the scoring just 4:17 into the game by deflecting a shot from Reilly Smith.
Notes before the game
Remembered by Dallas stars a few hours before Game 4 of the Western Finals vs Vegas Golden KnightsQuebecer Mavrik Bourque will ultimately not be in uniform for the game.
In morning practice, Bourque was employed on the first wave of the power play, suggesting he would be in uniform in the evening. It would have been the first career game in the NHL for the former Shawinigan Cataracts.
Head coach Peter DeBoer indicated after practice that Bourque would participate in the warm-up period, after which the team will decide on their roster composition.
The Stars, who are down 3-0 in the series, also recalled infielder Rhett Gardner, and it was Gardner who DeBoer eventually chose to use in left for Max Domi and Ty Dellandrea.
Fredrik Olofsson is also entering the formation of the Stars. He was on the fourth line during the warm-up.
The stars are without their captain Jamie Benn for this game and Game 5, if necessary, after receiving a two-game suspension for cross-checking the head of Mark Stone Tuesday evening.
Evgenii Dadonov is also out with an injury.
The 21-year-old Bourque appeared in all eight Calder Cup playoff games for Texas, recording a goal and four points.
In his first full professional season, the Plessisville native had 20 goals and 27 assists in 70 games, which ranked him ninth among all rookies.
Bourque was drafted in the first round (30th) by the Stars in 2020.
Gardner, a 27-year veteran, led Texas in the playoffs with eight points (4 goals and 4 assists) in eight games. In 71 games in the regular season, he has collected 10 goals and 30 assists.
