NHL Stanley Cup Final 2020: Stars vs. Lightning Game 1 Result, Updated Schedule

The Dallas Stars won their fourth straight playoff game and sixth in seven contests to open up a 1-0 lead over the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.

Dallas once again delivered a stout defensive performance, holding the Eastern Conference champion to a single goal at Rogers Place. Goaltender Anton Khudobin took the early lead in the race for Stanley Cup Final MVP, as he turned away 35 of Tampa Bay's 36 attempts on goal.

Dallas had four different players score a goal, and it never trailed in its first championship round game since 2000.

Stanley Cup Final Schedule

Game 1: Dallas 4, Tampa Bay 1

Game 2: Monday, September 21 (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN)

Game 3: Wednesday, September 23 (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN)

Game 4: Friday, September 25 (8 p.m. ET, NBC)

Game 5: Saturday, September 26 (8 p.m. ET, NBC)

Game 6: Monday, September 28 (8 p.m. ET, NBC)

Game 7: Wednesday, September 30 (8 p.m. ET, NBC)

One of the themes in Dallas' playoff run has been the contributions from unexpected players.

Joel Hanley and Jason Dickinson scored their first playoff goals in Game 1, while Joel Kiviranta extended his hot run of form in front of net with his fifth postseason tally. Kiviranta only played in 11 regular-season games, but he has been a key offensive force in parts of the run inside the Edmonton, Alberta, hub.

The Finnish forward netted the first three playoff goals of his career in Game 7 of the Stars' Western Conference semifinal series against the Colorado Avalanche. His goal Saturday marked the first time Kiviranta scored in back-to-back postseason contests after he also found the back of the net in the Game 5 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.

Khudobin was not expected to be Dallas' playoff goalie when the team arrived in the bubble, but he has taken over with Ben Bishop out injured.

The 34-year-old is on his fifth NHL team, and before he arrived in Dallas in 2018, he had a single postseason appearance to his name. Khudobin allowed two goals or fewer in each of Dallas' four Western Conference Final victories over Vegas, and he turned in his fourth straight 30-plus-save performance Saturday. He boasts an incredible .961 save percentage since the start of the Western Conference Final

With Khudobin in terrific form, it may be hard for Tampa Bay to beat him on multiple occasions throughout the series. After Game 1, the goaltender described his laser-like focus throughout the third period, when he turned away all 22 of Tampa Bay's shots on goal.

"I wasn't thinking anything else [but] focusing on the puck," Khudobin said, per NHL.com's Dan Rosen. "They did a heck of a job trying to stay in front of me and trying to screen me. I didn't think about anything else, just to stop the pucks."

Tampa Bay faces a tough challenge against the Dallas netminder, but it should come away from Saturday with some positive thoughts about its offensive play despite now having scored only four goals in its past three games. The Lightning threw pucks on net at a high rate and controlled the majority of the play over the final 20 minutes.

Nikita Kucherov had the most shots of any forward with five, and Kevin Shattenkirk complemented Victor Hedman from the point with six attempts on target. The Lightning received 16 shots from six of the seven defensemen to take the ice.

If the Eastern Conference champion continues to pepper Khudobin at a high rate, it should be able to score at least one or two goals in every game. The challenge for Jon Cooper's team will be to beat a red-hot goalie on a consistent basis while keeping Dallas at bay, which has been a tough task for the Stars' opponents in each of their past four games.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Hockey Reference.