The Edmonton Oilers scored three goals in the first 8:07 of the game to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second straight season, defeating the Dallas Stars 6-3 in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center on Thursday.
Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark, Jeff Skinner, Connor McDavid, Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen scored for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner made 14 saves.
Jake Oettinger was pulled after Janmark’s goal at 7:09 of the first. The Stars goaltender allowed two goals on as many shots and was replaced by Casey DeSmith, who made 17 saves on 20 shots.
Jason Robertson scored twice, and Roope Hintz had a power-play goal for the Stars.
What we learned: Sure, it got a little interesting in the second and third periods, but ultimately the Oilers eliminated an opponent the first chance they got for the third consecutive round. They eliminated the Los Angeles Kings in six games in the first round and the Vegas Golden Knights in five games in the second. Edmonton was aggressive and took advantage of Dallas' miscues, and even when the Stars were coming back, the Oilers never lost control of the game.
What it means for the Oilers: Edmonton gets another chance to win the Stanley Cup, which was nearly theirs last season. Last June they came back from a 3-0 deficit to force Game 7 against the Florida Panthers, who defeated them 2-1 to win the first Stanley Cup in their history. The Oilers will face the Panthers again, looking to win their first Cup since 1990.
What it means for the Stars: It’s the third consecutive season that the Stars got to the Western Conference Final, but they once again fell short of making the Cup Final. This was a rough way to go out, too. Dallas fell into a hole early and woke up enough to get within one goal twice, but Edmonton always had an answer.
Key moment: Kane’s shot at 3:21 of the third sealed it for the Oilers. The forward’s shot bounced off Stars defenseman Esa Lindell and past DeSmith to give the Oilers a 5-3 lead and kill the momentum the Stars had gotten off Robertson’s second goal 38 seconds into the period.
