Gurianov sends Stars into Stanley Cup Final

Photo: Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images

Denis Gurianov, an AHL All-Star with the Texas Stars a year ago, scored with 3:36 gone in overtime on Monday night to give the Dallas Stars the Western Conference championship and secure a berth in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.

Dallas defeated Vegas, 3-2, to win the series four games to one.

Gurianov played 190 games in the American Hockey League with Texas, including two during a weekend stint early this season. He helped the AHL Stars reach the Calder Cup Finals in 2018 – although he only played in two of the seven games during the championship series – then resurrected his game in 2018-19 when he represented Texas in the AHL All-Star Classic.

A first-round selection by Dallas in the 2015 NHL Draft, Gurianov totaled 54 goals and 58 assists for 112 points in his time with Texas. He scored 20 goals for Dallas during the 2019-20 regular season, and has added nine goals and eight assists in 21 postseason contests – including a four-goal effort against Calgary on Aug. 20.