A robbery occurred Saturday night at Rogers Place.
The suspect wore a mask throughout the duration of the heist and his accomplices stuffed the bag with two marks 200 feet away from him. He wore No. 35 on his back and elbows, and pulled off his theft with an array of splits and kicks, grabs and covers.
The Stars stole Game 4 of the Western Conference final on Saturday, and Anton Khudobin was why.
During the Stars' 2-1 win over Vegas in Game 4, Khudobin was the team's best player on the ice, making 32 saves in backstopping Dallas to a 3-1 series lead. The Stars are now five wins away from the Stanley Cup, the closest they've been to a championship in 20 years.
Joe Pavelski and Jamie Benn scored for the Stars, who overcame a slow start to overtake Vegas in the second period and hang on in the third period by killing two Golden Knights power plays, including 70 seconds of a 5 on 3.
At every juncture of the game, Khudobin was there for the Stars.
"He's been solid back there for us," Corey Perry said. "He's made big saves at crucial times. He doesn't get fazed. He just keeps going, next shift. He just keeps battling for pucks."
In the first period, Khudobin made the save on Paul Stastny's short-handed rush chance, absorbing the puck in the Stars logo on his chest. He fought around a Reilly Smith screen to fight off a Jonathan Marchessault bid. In the second period, he kept the puck out on William Karlsson's cut to the net from the left wing, even surviving a video review of the play.
But he shined brightest in the third period.
There was the net-front scramble with 14 minutes left in the third period, when Khudobin's 5-11 frame spanned the crease and his vacant hand was able to corral the puck. After Pavelski and Jason Dickinson were called for third-period whistles, the Stars had to protect a one-goal lead down two men.
"The way the guys are battling, the way (they're) blocking shots," Khudobin said. "They have bruises, they have bumps, and they still sacrifice their bodies, go and block shots. Even if they can't they still try, and they're working their ass off to make sure I see the puck."
Khudobin turned aside Max Pacioretty and ate a Shea Theodore point shot. He swallowed Alec Martinez's one-timer, before stoning Marchessault. Every time the Golden Knights tossed the puck laterally, Khudobin was there waiting for it. He was aggressive in coming out of the crease to challenge shooters and he was Velcro, preventing rebounds as the clock ticked away.
"I just tried to find the puck and react to it," Khudobin said of his save on Martinez. "I don't know if it's luck or whatever, but let's go with luck."
Maybe the Golden Knights didn't get enough traffic in front of Khudobin. Perhaps they were unlucky by ringing two posts. Either way, Khudobin shut down anything else that Vegas sent his way, pushing the Golden Knights one loss away from a trip home.
Pavelski's goal 11:34 into the game helped stem the Vegas tide coming at the Stars. Pavelski's goal was the team's seventh shot of the game and the second of the period. But he converted a Nate Schmidt turnover into a goal when his backhand fluttered over Robin Lehner.
Benn gave the Stars the lead in the final minute of the second period by depositing a power-play rebound past Lehner. It was Benn's seventh goal of the playoffs and second in as many games.
Khudobin made sure the goals stood up. In four games of the Western Conference final, Khudobin owns a .952 save percentage and 1.64 goals against average.
At each turn of his Stars tenure, Khudobin has risen to the challenge. In 2018-19, when Ben Bishop got hurt, Khudobin carried the load for weeks at a time, helping the Stars to the postseason. This season, he led the league with a .930 save percentage. In the postseason, he made his first career postseason start, and collected his first playoff victory and first playoff series win.
Khudobin has played so well for so long that his performances are no longer a surprise for the Stars. They're used to it.
And they could use five more performances like Saturday night's.
