Dallas Stars Power Past Edmonton Oilers in Western Conference Final Opener
The Dallas Stars produced a stunning comeback in the Western Conference final opener, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 6-3 at home on Wednesday night. The Stars’ power play unit was the decisive factor, scoring three goals in a 5:26 span early in the third period to overcome a two-goal deficit.
According to AP News, the Stars’ Miro Heiskanen, Mikael Granlund, and Matt Duchene all scored power-play goals, giving their team the momentum they needed to secure the win. "It started with a power play," Duchene said, as quoted by AP News. "You get one right way, and it’s like, ‘Hey, we’re back in it now with momentum.’ Get another one right away."
The Stars opened the third period with a man advantage from a penalty that carried over from the second, and Heiskanen scored 32 seconds in on a shot from near the blue line. Granlund tied the game at 3, and Duchene put the Stars ahead to stay with a second-effort score. "I didn’t feel through 40 minutes that we had made [the Oilers] earn the position they were in, so guys responded," Stars coach Pete DeBoer said, as reported by AP News. "We got fortunate. We got some power-play goals. Happy for our power play. It took a lot of heat last year at this point of the year. It was the difference tonight for us, so it’s great."
Tyler Seguin had two goals and an assist for the Stars, while Esa Lindell added an empty-netter that went almost the entire length of the ice. Jake Oettinger stopped 24 shots to earn the win. The Stars’ power play unit was crucial in securing the victory, having gone 0 for 14 in the Western Conference final last year.
The Oilers, who had a week of rest after wrapping up their second-round series, were led by Leon Draisaitl’s goal and two assists. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a power-play goal and an assist, while defenseman Evan Bouchard had his fifth goal and Connor McDavid had two assists. Stuart Skinner, who had lost his starting job before Calvin Pickard got hurt, stopped 22 of 27 shots.
The win marked the Stars’ seventh consecutive home game victory this postseason, their first since the franchise moved to Dallas in 1993. The Stars also won back-to-back series openers after losing eight consecutive Game 1s. As noted by AP News, Heiskanen and Duchene both scored for the first time this postseason, with Heiskanen scoring a wrister from near the boards just inside the blue line and Duchene getting his goal after his initial shot went off teammate Roope Hintz.
The series now shifts to Game 2 on Friday night in Dallas, with the Stars looking to take a 2-0 lead. The Oilers will aim to bounce back and level the series. According to AP News, Stuart Skinner said, "Goals have been going in a little differently, in different ways. Again, it’s a different series so they show us different things." The Oilers’ penalty kill unit struggled, which could be a key area to address in Game 2.
In related news, fans can follow the AP NHL playoffs coverage on AP News and AP NHL for the latest updates and analysis.
