No one said it was going to be easy, as the Edmonton Oilers fell 3-1 to the Dallas Stars in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals. With the series split, the Oilers will return to Edmonton.
For only the third time in 14 games, the opposition opened the scoring against the Oilers, as Jamie Benn had a slight two-on-one and elected to shoot, beating Stuart Skinner, who allowed a goal on the first shot he faced in this game.
However, the Oilers immediately answered back less than a minute later, as Connor Brown picked up a rebound and slotted it under Jake Oettinger for the 1-1 tie. This was Brown’s first playoff goal since the 2018 postseason.
The Stars scored the game-winning goal less than four minutes into the third period. A shot from Ryan Suter was deflected in front of the net by Mason Marchment, giving the Stars a 2-1 lead.
They’d later add an empty net goal on a pretty poor pull from Kris Knoblauch and the team, giving us the final score: 3-1 Dallas.
Things worth mentioning
Edmonton now has home-ice advantage and was the second-best home team in 2023-24, posting a 28-9-4 record in their building. However, Dallas was the best road team this season, posting a 26-10-5 record. Ideally, the Oilers win both of these games.
Leon Draisaitl’s 13-point streak to start the postseason came to an end. In fact, only Connor Brown, Cody Ceci, and Warren Foegele picked up a point.
Edmonton’s first period was great, as they outshot the Stars 16-4. However, more than half their shots came in the first period, as they were outshot 11-8 in the second period and 10-5 in the third period. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, though, as the Stars blocked 22 shots.
Stuart Skinner wasn’t bad by any means in this game, as he saved 22 of 24 shots for a .917 save percentage. Would he have liked to have the two goals he allowed back? Absolutely, but he also made some pretty big saves in the first two periods.
The Oilers will need to make a change going into Game 3. Winning three straight games, the Oilers hadn’t made a lineup change for a while, but it’s time to get Adam Henrique back in the lineup if he’s healthy.
Up next: The Oilers return to action on Monday as the series shifts to Edmonton. That game will start at 6:30.
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