If you’ve ever watched a coach’s press conference, you’ve probably heard plenty about execution. Coaches rarely dwell on the specifics of their game plans. Instead, they emphasize how their team actually performed on the ice. Legendary boxer Mike Tyson famously summed up this idea best: “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.” NHL coaches everywhere would wholeheartedly agree.

A coaching staff can draw up a flawless tactical strategy, but if players can’t execute, the brilliance of that plan doesn’t matter. Game 4 between the Stars and Oilers was a perfect illustration of this sports reality. The Oilers didn’t just get punched in the mouth, they stumbled right out of the gate, tripping themselves up in a messy first period. Stuart Skinner single-handedly kept them alive until they found their footing.

And once they did, it became an absolute clinic: A dominant, smothering performance that now has the Oilers knocking on the door of a second straight Stanley Cup Finals appearance.

How exactly did they turn things around? Let’s break down the tape and see.

The Oilers’ first period felt like stumbling into a cheap ’90s Vegas buffet: Plenty of options, none of them appetizing.

Edmonton served up a messy assortment of failed plays, allowing Dallas to dominate early on. The Stars unleashed 15 shot attempts in just 16 minutes of 5v5 ice-time, creating six high-danger scoring chances, a stark contrast to their average of 11 per entire game earlier in this series. Statistically, Dallas should have walked away from that period with two goals at even strength.

What went wrong for Edmonton? Post-game, the coach suggested the team wasn’t skating enough. However, that’s not what stood out. Instead, what did impress was the Oilers’ recovery effort. Take a closer look at this outstanding backtrack example from the first period.

Nothing wrong with the skating in this clip, nor many others in the first period. Along with Stu Skinner, I believe the Oilers’ skating ability allowed them to overcome their mistakes. What mistakes, you say? Well, it was a bad buffet of them. There were turnovers inside the blueline that led to counterattacks.

Some defencemen were pinching on the strong side when they had no F3 help in the middle of the ice.

There were neutral zone turnovers where the Oilers had full control and an ability to get the puck deep into the Dallas zone. Instead, they tried to go backwards when forward was the best play.

There were defencemen with puck possession, time and space who simply failed to make good passes or good clears.

Notice something about all four of these clips? That’s right, these mistakes were more about the Oilers than they were about the Stars. The Oilers simply failed to execute the plan drawn up for them by the coaching staff.

The plan had worked very well in the prior three games of the series. Can you give the Stars some credit? Some. Especially once the mistake was made. The Stars played with pace and offensive creativity in the first period. However, a good portion of that came from self-inflicted mistakes by the Oilers.

In the end, the Oilers finished the first period ahead 1-0, thanks in large part to an exceptional performance from Stuart Skinner. Whether it was Skinner’s standout goaltending or a motivational intermission speech from Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers returned in the second period transformed and seized control of the game.

The shift was dramatic, like upgrading from a disappointing buffet at the Ellis Island Hotel (best avoided) to indulging in Caesars’ lavish, all-you-can-eat seafood at the Bacchanal Buffet (highly recommended). From that point forward, the Oilers executed their game plan flawlessly, replicating the dominant play that had already won them eight of the nine previous periods in this series.

Their relentless neutral-zone coverage stifled the Stars’ offensive momentum and effectively shut down every counterattack, securing a convincing victory.

The Oilers’ forward support was low in their zone, and when Dallas tried their soft chip tactic was exemplary.

When the Stars got an opportunity in the Oilers zone, I thought the Oilers defensive structure was brilliant. Watch this clip with a focus on Leon Draisaitl. Watch how he holds the strong side position while the puck swings side to side. When he needs to attack, he does, When he needs to hold position, he does. When the puck finally goes back up the wall, look at structure of the Oilers. Perfect defensive posture more than 30 seconds into this attack. Podkolzin makes a great play and the puck is out of the zone without much threat.

The last 40 minutes were not the result of a new set of tactics. It was not about goaltending stealing saves that should not have happened. It was about a team that knew the plan that worked and just executed it very well.

This, combined with a powerplay that looks to be finding its form, and the Oilers closed out the Stars in an efficient manner on Tuesday night.

No question that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was brilliant in this game. It is also no question that Evan Bouchard has been the best defenceman in this series for the Oilers.

However, today, I want to highlight Brett Kulak. When it was going poorly in the first period, Brett Kulak was a rock. His retrieval and exit game is very good right now. Watch this clip in the first period and his subtle work to allow the Oilers to escape the zone.

These are very awkward plays for defenders. The lob that will bounce all over the ice can create chaos. Kulak handled the whole situation well and simply squeezed off his attacker, allowing Evan Bouchard to exit.

The first of two empty net goals was another example of the subtle play of Kulak. Watch him make this outlet by using his edges to gather the puck and get it to his forehand. Then look at the tight quarters he is operating under before he makes the successful lob play. That is a tight area.

Brett Kulak was brilliant in Game 4. I thought his steady play was a calming presence for the Oilers in the first period when they were clearly not at their best. To create an assist on the third goal was just reward for his strong play on the night.

The only black cloud over the entire game was the injury to Zach Hyman. Hyman has been a menace in this series to the Stars. His loss will be felt. No question.

The saving grace is that the Oilers have depth. They could go 11-7 if Mattias Ekholm says he is ready. They could bring Jeff Skinner into the series. I doubt the Oilers would go black ace and bring Noah Philp or Matt Savoie in, but you never know.

The health of Connor Brown will play into all of this over the next 24 hours as well. The one positive is that this year, the next man up for the Oilers has some quality that has been lacking in other years.

That’s it for the Game 4 tactical review. See you all back here on Friday morning after Game 5. Have a great day.

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