Fil-Am Robertson, Stars eliminated by Vegas

THE breakout season of Filipino American hockey star Jason Robertson ended on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), after his Dallas Stars were eliminated in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights in the National Hockey League (NHL) Western Conference Finals at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

The Stars were held off the scoresheet by the Golden Knights 0-6 as Vegas goaltender Adin Hill made 18 saves and bagged the game’s first star honors in Game 6.

Robertson, who played all 82 regular season games, collected career-highs 46 goals, 63 assists for 109 points. He was a point per game player in the playoffs, with 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists) in 18 games.

Vegas forward William Karlsson, meanwhile, had a 3-point night in Game 6, scoring two goals and dishing one assist.

Vegas stormed out of the gate in the first period with William Carrier, Karlsson, and Keegan Kolesar scoring the game’s first three goals, while Jonathan Marchessault scored the only goal in the second period to make it 4-0.

Karlsson and Michael Amadio would keep Dallas out of reach in the third period with back-to-back goals.

For Vegas, it will be their second Stanley Cup final in franchise history, after making it in their inaugural season in 2018. From that roster, only Karlsson, Marchessault, Carrier, Reilly Smith, and defensemen Shea Theodore and Brayden McNabb are left from a team then known as the “Golden Misfits.”

The Golden Knights received the Clarence S. Campbell from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, for being the Western Conference champions.

Vegas will face the Florida Panthers in the best-of-seven NHL Stanley Cup Final, which begins on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.