Fantucchio’s Focus: Dellandrea sends series back to Dallas; Tkachuk on TNT

Good morning; My name is Andrew Fantucchio. It’s Sunday, May 28, and here’s what I’m focused on around the NHL today.

Dellandrea sends series back to Dallas: 

After being a healthy scratch for the first two games of the Western Conference Final, Ty Dellandrea scored twice in the span of 1:27 in the third period to clinch a 4-2 win for the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the series over the Vegas Golden Knights, Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV.

“There’s no denying [being scratched] is hard,” Dellandrea said. “You just got to stay ready. I was just focused on that we got to win games and being happy for the group. I had a good feeling that another opportunity would come, and I just tried to put my head down and work and be ready for that. ”

TY DELLANDREA GIVES THE STARS THE THIRD PERIOD LEAD! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/9xERalySzB

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 28, 2023

The two goals broke an eight-game pointless streak for the 22-year-old but, more importantly, kept the Stars’ season alive, at least for the time being. As the series heads back to Dallas, the Stars trail in the series 3-2. In Game 6 on Monday, team captain Jamie Benn will be eligible to return to the Stars’ lineup after serving a two-game suspension for cross-checking Vegas’ Mark Stone in Game 3.

Tkachuk on TNT:

While the Florida Panthers wait to see who they’ll face in the Stanley Cup Final, Matthew Tkachuk made a guest appearance on TNT’s NBA Tip-Off ahead of Game 6 between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat.

Matthew Tkachuk joined the @NBAonTNT crew at the Heat game for an all-time pregame interview 😂 pic.twitter.com/bNxbM3gbZv

— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) May 28, 2023

Tkachuk scored three over-time goals for Florida in the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes and has 21 points thus far in the postseason.

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