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Welcome to NHL Predictions! Last Word On Hockey continues its coverage of the Western Conference Final. Midway through the series, things will only get more interesting. Today, we look at Game 4 of the series between the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars.
Time: 8:00 P.M. EST
TV: ESPN, ESPN+
After splitting the first two games in Dallas, the series shifted to Edmonton for a Sunday afternoon game. Behind two goals from Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman, the Oilers cruised to a 6-1 win. The Oilers have outscored the Stars 12-7 through three games, including a shutout.
“You have to win games in different ways. [We] have to have dominant nights; you have to have nights where maybe your goalie is better than theirs,” McDavid said. “You have to have nights where your special teams gets it done. That wasn’t tonight, although I thought the kill was good. Five-on-five has been really good. It’s been our strength all playoffs long, which is maybe new for this group. We’ve relied on the power play for a long time, and for whatever reason, it hasn’t been clicking. You have to find ways to win different games in different ways, and we did it again tonight.”
Game 4’s are critical in all playoff series. In addition to being an elimination game in sweep scenarios, the winner of Game 4 can either tie a series or take a commanding 3-1 lead. In many cases, Game 4 determines if this series is destined for a seven-game thriller or possibly over in just five games.
The Oilers have been on both sides of the coin in these playoffs. In round one, they trailed the series 2-1 but managed to win Game 4 to even the series and avoid the dreaded 3-1 hole. In addition, the Oilers ran with the momentum and won the series in six games. The Oilers entered Game 4 in round two with a 2-1 series lead. Stuart Skinner picked up his first shutout of the playoffs as the Oilers took the commanding 3-1 lead. The Oilers finished the series in Game 5 behind another Skinner shutout.
The Oilers enter another Game 4 with a chance to take a commanding 3-1 lead. Since last year’s playoffs, the Oilers have been able to win momentum-shifting games. If they can do so on Tuesday, they will be in prime shape to return to the Stanley Cup Final.
This is the fifth time in six seasons that the Stars have reached the Western Conference Final. However, they have only advanced to the Stanley Cup Final once. Part of that is the inability to win the crucial games in the series.
After a Game 1 comeback win, the Stars had momentum. They had stolen a game from a team with, at the time, questions between the pipes. The stage was set for the Stars to take control of the series in Game 2. However, the Stars are trailing 2-1 and have only scored one goal in the last two games. Now, they face an Oilers team with all the momentum. Furthermore, the Oilers are 5-1 at home in these playoffs.
The stage is set for another Dallas collapse. However, we do play the games for a reason. Can the Stars change the script? Is this the “same ole’ Stars,” or is this the year things change?
When making predictions, sometimes it makes sense to go with what seems like a sure thing. The Oilers are in prime position to win Game 4 and take the commanding 3-1 lead. Yet, something tells us to go against our gut on this one. The Stars find a way, and even the series.
Stars win, 3-2, in overtime.
The over/under is set at 5.5 goals. We are taking just under that with five total goals.
For prop bets, we are taking Hyman as an anytime-scorer for the Oilers. For the Stars, we are taking Esa Lindell.
Main Photo: Perry Nelson- Imagn Images
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Andrew Willis has been a hockey and St. Louis Blues fan since 2007. Andrew’s passion for the Blues, hockey, and writing have come together multiple times. Andrew wrote hockey articles for his high school newspaper from 2011-2015 and had a brief stint with LWOH in 2020.
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