The Stars began their first-round series with Vegas by saying that last season didn’t matter.

They even said the regular season didn’t matter, as the teams hadn’t met since December 9, long before the trade deadline and most of the season that brought the teams to first and eighth place, respectively. , in his conference. .

But after losing Game 2 to fall into an 0-2 hole in the series, marking the sixth straight loss to the Golden Knights and ninth in their last 11 meetings, it could be a sign.

Have the Golden Knights just discovered the Stars?

“They’re the Stanley Cup champions,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said after the game. “They have everyone figured out. “They discovered everyone last year too, so we’re not alone in that boat.”

In franchise history, the Stars have their second-worst winning percentage against the Golden Knights, beating them in just six of 17 meetings (35.3%). The only worst matchup for the Stars has been the Boston Bruins with (32.3%).

This season, there were only five teams that Dallas didn’t beat. Of those teams, the Stars played only one of them three times: Las Vegas.

There’s a reason most Stars fans, and probably including the team, expected to tie Los Angeles on the final night of the regular season. A goal with 1:21 left ended that dream.

However, two of Dallas’ regular-season games against the Golden Knights ended in overtime. Their first two playoff games against them were decided by a single goal (aside from an empty net for the Knights on Wednesday).

“I thought last year they probably won the play, even though we found a way to get some wins. I don’t think that will be the case this year,” DeBoer said. “Anyway, it doesn’t feel like that. “I feel much more equal.”

But given how close the series has been all-time, it doesn’t make much sense on paper why the Stars have often been on the wrong side.

Forward Tyler Seguin suggested some lingering emotions from last year have crept into this series. That was seen Wednesday night when the Stars broke their hit average of 17.8 per game, surrendering 53 in an emotional and physical game.

“Maybe we were almost frustrated from last year, knowing what a good team we are, especially 5-on-5,” Seguin said.

The Stars even seem to have better chances at 5-on-5. For the second game in a row, they had the advantage in high-danger scoring chances. But Vegas has found a way to capitalize on the breaks it gets, including a neat goal on a pass from Jack Eichel to Jonathan Marchessault late in the first period that tied the score.

“We made a mistake at the end of the first,” DeBoer said. “That was probably a critical point in the game. That’s what they do. They make you pay. You come out of first after having a great period and you have nothing to show.”

From there, Vegas has been able to dominate defensively, just as it did last year. The Golden Knights allowed just five shots on goal by the Stars in each of the second and third periods. They scored one in a fight in front of the net, which was all they needed to put the game away.

“They are the defending cup champions for a reason. They know how to squeeze it out and finish the game,” Stars forward Jason Robertson said. “We just need to generate more shot attempts, maybe get some tips, second and third chances.”

In a series with razor-thin margins, Vegas has done a great job playing to its strengths. His physicality, depth and defensive skills have shined in the first two games, and the Stars haven’t done enough to match them.

But Dallas has its own strengths that they can take advantage of. He has a significant advantage on special teams. In the regular season, his power play ranked sixth in the league (24.2%) and his penalty kill ranked eighth (82%). Vegas, on the other hand, had just the 20th best power play (20.2%) and 16th best penalty kill (79.3%). The Stars capitalized on that advantage on Wednesday, scoring their only goal on the power play.

The Stars also have a talent in net, and he looked perfect on Wednesday. After a rough start to the series, Oettinger was making stops left and right, stopping 23 shots in 25 attempts. He’s across the ice from Logan Thompson, who played in just his second playoff game Wednesday, and looked shaky at times, especially when he tried to make saves with his gloves.

On top of all that, the Stars had the league’s third-best offense in the regular season and by far the deepest with eight 20+ goal scorers. So far, only three of them have found goals in the playoffs and the Stars are averaging two goals per game, well below their regular season average of 3.59.

There are ways for the Stars to return to the series, but they will have to start soon. Otherwise, they could enter another offseason wondering if they can ever beat Las Vegas.

“We’ve taken pride all year in how we respond, how we don’t lose too many games in a row, so we’ll start with one,” Seguin said.

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