DALLAS -- The Dallas Stars have never come back from a 3-1 deficit in a best-of-7 series.
Sixteen times they have faced that climb. Sixteen times they have failed to reach the summit.
They are ready to change their history despite the daunting numbers. It starts against the Edmonton Oilers in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center on Thursday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, 356 teams have trailed a best-of-7 series 3-1 and 32 (8.9 percent) have found a way to advance.
The Carolina Hurricanes were looking to stay alive in the Eastern Conference Final, but lost Game 5 to the Florida Panthers 5-3 on Wednesday.
To make a comeback a reality, the Stars will have to start with a win here and then replicate it two days later in Edmonton to force a winner-take-all Game 7 on home ice Monday.
"The message is everybody goes through adversity on this trail," Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. "Adversity comes with this and it's digging in and finding a way."
The numbers for a win in Game 5 are a bit more friendly.
The Stars have won each of their past four Game 5s when trailing 3-1 in a series dating to the 2007 conference quarterfinals and are 8-4 in their past 12 games when facing elimination since the 2020 second round. They have only lost four straight games in a series three times in their history and not since the 2001 conference semifinals, a four-game sweep to St. Louis Blues.
Last season, the Stars lost the first two games of the opening round against the defending Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights and came back to win in seven.
"Every team that wins at the end of the day has a moment in time where it doesn't look good," Stars forward Matt Duchene said. "And right now that's ours. So, last year, when we went there, I remember after Game 2 feeling like 'Man, could this be over this quickly? Like, after a great year, could this be over? Let's go out and hang out three in a row.' So, we've done it before."
Oilers: Edmonton loses a vital piece for Game 5 but adds another important one back into the lineup. Forward Zach Hyman is out for the remainder of the playoffs after sustaining an upper-body injury in Game 4 and having surgery Wednesday. Defenseman Mattias Ekholm, who has played one game since March 26 because of a lower-body injury, makes his return. "Obviously, it's extremely disappointing to lose 'Hy,' devastated for him," captain Connor McDavid said. "He's a guy that wants to be out there and wants to make a difference, so we will miss him a lot. Great to see 'Ekkie' come back. He's put in a lot of hard work to get to this point." Hyman, whose 16 goals led the 2024 playoffs, had 11 points (five goals, six assists) in 15 games and leads the 2025 postseason in hits (111).
Stars: They're displaying the right frame of mind to get back into the series, but know they have to show it after being outscored 13-2 in the past three games. The Stars have dominated play at different points but haven't been able to solve Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner on a regular basis. "When pucks don't go in, you maybe get a little frustrated and want to change the way we do things, but we've been here before," defenseman Thomas Harley said. "We are professionals and we have to do the right things, and that's putting pucks at the net and eventually it's going to go in."
Number to know: Skinner has been historically good in these playoffs. His .985 save percentage in wins is the best in a postseason with a minimum of five games. His 0.39 goals-against average in wins is the lowest since 1943-44 and third-lowest in one playoff year in NHL history (minimum five games).
What to watch for: Special teams. Since Dallas scored three power-play goals in their 6-3 comeback win in Game 1, Edmonton has won the special teams battle handily. The Oilers have four power-play goals in their past three games, including two in a 6-1 win in Game 4 on Tuesday, when Corey Perry scored the game-winner on the man-advantage. Edmonton is 4-for-11 (36.4 percent) since Game 1, while Dallas is 1-for-8 (12.5 percent). "Anytime you are giving up goals on the kill, it's a little bit of everything," DeBoer said. "Listen, you have to give them credit. It shouldn't be surprising. One of the best power plays in the League over the past few years, particularly at home. It's a tough one to deal with."
