Edmonton looks to convert on power play, Dallas seeks depth scoring as rematch begins
© Getty Images
DALLAS — The Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers will play Game 1 of their Western Conference Final rematch at American Airlines Center on Wednesday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).
Game 1 was a thriller last year. Edmonton took a 2-0 lead; Dallas tied it 2-2. Oilers captain Connor McDavid took a double minor for high-sticking 17 seconds into overtime, and Stars forward Jason Robertson hit two posts on the ensuing power play. Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger made a huge save on McDavid in OT, but McDavid scored 32 seconds into the second OT to give Edmonton a 3-2 win.
“Those are the inches, and it’s part of hockey, and I think whatever team gets more of those ends up winning,” Robertson said.
The Stars came back to take a 2-1 series lead but the Oilers won the next three and the series in six games.
“I think obviously the carryover is still there,” Dallas captain Jamie Benn said. “We remember what happened last year. But obviously we both have been through a new season. We brought in different players. They brought in different players. So totally new rivalry, I guess, for this year that we’re looking forward to.”
Teams that have taken a 1-0 lead in a best-of-7 series in the Stanley Cup Playoffs have won the series 68.1 percent of the time (534-250).
Stars host Oilers in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final tonight at 8PM
Here is a breakdown of Game 1:
Oilers: McDavid leads Edmonton with 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) in 11 games this postseason and center Leon Draisaitl is right behind with 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 11 games. Evan Bouchard leads NHL defensemen in the playoffs with 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in 11 games. But Edmonton is deep; it has 16 players with at least one goal in the postseason. One problem: The power play is 0-for-14 on the road. Goalie Stuart Skinner, who backed up for six straight games earlier in the playoffs, made 47 saves combined in two shutouts of the Vegas Golden Knights to end the second round.
Stars: Forward Mikko Rantanen leads all players with 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 13 playoff games. Thomas Harley is second among NHL defensemen in the postseason with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in 13 games. Dallas needs more from others offensively, particularly Robertson and center Matt Duchene, who haven’t scored yet in the playoffs after combining for 65 goals during the regular season. Duchene has played all 13 games; Robertson missed the first round against the Colorado Avalanche because of a lower-body injury but played all six games in the second round against the Winnipeg Jets. Goalie Jake Oettinger is 8-5 with a 2.47 goals-against average and .919 save percentage this postseason.
Number to know: 3. That’s how many of the top six players in points per game in playoff history are in this series (minimum 35 games played). McDavid (1.58) is third, Draisaitl (1.46) fourth and Rantanen (1.28) sixth. Wayne Gretzky is the all-time leader with 1.84 points per game in the postseason.
What to look for: Will special teams be the difference like they were last year, when the Stars went 0-for-14 on the power play during the series and the Oilers 4-for-11? Will Skinner stay hot, or will Oettinger give Dallas a clear advantage in goal?
“They’re just so structured. They’re deep. You know, I mean, there’s four teams left playing. All four teams are going be deep. But I think they have eight 20-goal scorers, so they score by committee, everybody up and down the lineup. Obviously, Rantanen’s playing great. The goalie’s playing great. They’ve got a tough back end. The list goes on and on of things they do well. They’re a good team. It’ll be a great test.” — McDavid on the Stars
“Obviously, they’ve got the two-headed monster [McDavid and Draisaitl], but I think it’s the depth they brought in. … They’re first in the League in odd-man rushes, but now they’re also getting to the net, getting traffic to the net, so they’re not just kind of run-and-gun. … I think just going to have to expect it all. The rush, obviously, those guys, then also they’re getting bodies to the net, pucks to the net. They’ve got big guys that like to try to make my life hard, so it should be fun.” — Oettinger on the Oilers
FLA vs. CAR | EDM vs. DAL
FLA vs. TOR | CAR vs. WSH | DAL vs. WPG | EDM vs. VGK
OTT vs. TOR | FLA vs. TBL | MTL vs. WSH | NJD vs. CAR
STL vs. WPG | COL vs. DAL | MIN vs. VGK | EDM vs. LAK
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — Connor McDavid — Zach Hyman
Vasily Podkolzin — Leon Draisaitl — Kasperi Kapanen
Evander Kane — Adam Henrique — Connor Brown
Trent Frederic — Mattias Janmark — Corey Perry
Brett Kulak — Evan Bouchard
Darnell Nurse — Troy Stecher
Jake Walman — John Klingberg
Stuart Skinner
Olivier Rodrigue
Scratched: Viktor Arvidsson, Joshua Brown, Cam Dineen, Ty Emberson, Max Jones, Derek Ryan, Jeff Skinner
Injured: Mattias Ekholm (undisclosed), Calvin Pickard (lower body)
Mikael Granlund — Roope Hintz — Mikko Rantanen
Jason Robertson — Matt Duchene — Wyatt Johnston
Mason Marchment — Sam Steel — Tyler Seguin
Jamie Benn — Oskar Back — Evgenii Dadonov
Thomas Harley — Miro Heiskanen
Esa Lindell — Cody Ceci
Lian Bichsel — Alexander Petrovic
Jake Oettinger
Casey DeSmith
Scratched: Mavrik Bourque, Colin Blackwell, Mathew Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin, Brendan Smith
Injured: Nils Lundkvist (shoulder)
Status report
Ekholm took part in the morning skate but the defenseman is not expected to play. Ekholm had practiced Monday for the first time since being injured April 11. … Brown will be a game-time decision; he did not participate in the morning skate and took a maintenance day at practice Monday. If he can’t play it’s likely Arvidsson, a forward, would replace him. … The Stars held an optional morning skate. … Dallas could dress 11 forwards and seven defensemen, coach Pete DeBoer said; the team has utilized that configuration since Heiskanen returned from knee surgery in Game 4 of the second round after being injured Jan. 28.
NHL.com independent correspondent Taylor Baird contributed to this report
