Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers Set for Western Conference Final Rematch
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The Dallas Stars will face off against the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Final for the second consecutive season, with Game 1 set to take place at American Airlines Center on Wednesday. According to the NHL, the series promises to be an exciting one, with both teams having undergone significant changes since their meeting last season.
A New Look Oilers Team
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The Oilers, as reported by the NHL, have a revamped supporting cast for superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl. Seven players who appeared in the conference final last season are no longer on the Oilers roster, including defensemen Philip Broberg, Vincent Desharnais, and Cody Ceci, and forwards Sam Carrick, Warren Foegele, Dylan Holloway, and Ryan McLeod. The newcomers include defensemen John Klingberg and Jake Walman, and forwards Viktor Arvidsson, Trent Frederic, Kasperi Kapanen, Vasily Podkolzin, and Jeff Skinner.
Stars Coach Pete DeBoer believes that the Oilers’ changes will make them a tougher opponent. “I think the challenging part is they’re a totally different team,” he said, as quoted by the NHL. “They’ve tilted the ice. They get depth scoring. They’re going to be a really tough test for us.”
A New Look Stars Team
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The Stars, as noted by the NHL, are also a different team from last season. Seven players from the conference final last season are no longer on the roster, including defensemen Ryan Suter and Chris Tanev, and forwards Ty Dellandrea, Radek Faksa, Joe Pavelski, Craig Smith, and Logan Stankoven. The newcomers include Ceci, defensemen Lian Bichsel and Ilya Lyubushkin, and forwards Oskar Back, Colin Blackwell, Mikael Granlund, and Mikko Rantanen.
Rantanen gives Dallas a superstar to counter McDavid and Draisaitl. He has 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 13 games, most in the playoffs and two more than McDavid’s 17 points (three goals, 14 points) in 11 games, according to the NHL.
Injury Updates
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The Oilers may get a boost with the potential return of defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who missed the first two rounds with an undisclosed injury. Meanwhile, the Stars have gotten two key players back, each from a lower-body injury. Forward Jason Robertson returned in Game 1 of the second round, and defenseman Miro Heiskanen in Game 4, as reported by the NHL.
Special Teams to Play a Crucial Role
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Special teams were critical last season, with the Stars outscoring the Oilers 12-11 at 5-on-5 but going 0-for-14 on the power play. The Oilers, on the other hand, went 4-for-11 (36.4 percent). Through two rounds this season, Edmonton has 29 goals at 5-on-5 and Dallas 20, but the Stars have been better on special teams, according to the NHL.
“We’re going to assume they’re going to have a great power play with the players they have, and a really good penalty kill like they did last year in the playoffs against us,” DeBoer said, as quoted by the NHL. “I’m assuming ours are going to be really good again, and I think it’s going to come down to 5-on-5.”
Stars Need More Production from Forwards
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The Stars need more production from some forwards, most notably Matt Duchene and Jason Robertson. Duchene led them with 82 points (30 goals, 52 assists) in 82 games of the regular season, while Robertson was right behind with 80 points (35 goals, 45 assists) in 82 games, leading them in goals. However, neither has scored yet in the playoffs, as noted by the NHL.
DeBoer believes that the Stars need to build on their recent performance. “I think we’ve got to build on that,” he said, as quoted by the NHL. “I know Edmonton’s defending really well again too, and so we’ve got to take that Game 6 mindset that we had against Winnipeg into this Edmonton series, because despite the fact of how well Winnipeg defended, we still found a way to break in and get some really good looks.”
The series between the Stars and Oilers promises to be an exciting one, with both teams having undergone significant changes since their meeting last season. The NHL reports that Game 1 will take place on Wednesday at American Airlines Center, with puck drop scheduled for 8 p.m. ET.
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