The Edmonton Oilers headed into Game 5 of the Western Conference Final with plenty of confidence. They came off a huge victory in Game 4 on Ben Stelter’s ninth birthday and aimed to end the series in Dallas. Last night, the Oilers had the chance to finish off the Dallas Stars for the second straight season, to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
Losing Zach Hyman was awful news for the Oilers; they needed their secondary scoring to step up. The Florida Panthers were patiently waiting for the result. Let’s take a deep dive into what all went down in Game 5.
The Oilers hot start
The best part of the game for the Oilers was their start. Kris Knoblauch made sure his team was ready to roll right out of the gates. From the start, the Oilers had their legs moving, which led to an early power play. Corey Perry finished a beautiful play from Connor McDavid to open the scoring. Perry has been an underrated hero for the Oilers this year, scoring huge goals and playing throughout the lineup. He is currently tied for the Oilers’ lead in playoff goals with seven.
Canada’s team kept things going when Jake Walman made a beautiful breakout pass to Viktor Arvidsson, who sprung Mattias Janmark on a breakaway. Then, to top off the hot start, Jeff Skinner scored his first career playoff goal. After playing in 1,078 career regularseason games, the 33-year-old has finally scored a playoff goal. Unfortunately, things took a wrong turn when Brett Kulak turned the puck over in the defensive zone. This led to a Jason Robertson snipe to shift some momentum going to the second period.
The Oilers’ hot starts have been a thorn in the side of the Stars. They simply have not been able to control the offence of the Oilers. Going into the second period, the Stars needed their best offensive push of the season.
Regaining momentum through the game
The second period began as expected, with the Stars beginning to find their game. Things got more intense as the physicality started to ramp up. This led to an interference penalty from defenceman Mattias Ekholm. Once again, the Stars struck on the power play. This was arguably the only thing that was working well for the Stars in this series. Roope Hintz scored their fifth power play goal of the Conference Final.
Just two minutes after the Stars’ power play goal, an unlucky bounce gave the Oilers captain an excellent opportunity to regain the momentum. A shot from Thomas Harley was blocked by Ekholm, which sprung McDavid all alone on a breakaway. The captain scored a fantastic breakaway goal, silencing the crowd in Texas. This was easily the most important goal of the series, as it seemed to destroy the hopes of the Stars.
Locking it down in the third period
The third period began with a weak goal given up by Stuart Skinner. Jason Robertson was able to sneak one five-hole to score his second goal of the game. Everything was on the line as the Stars began to throw everything at the Oilers. Lucky for them, the hockey gods were on their side. Evander Kane made a centring pass that went off Esa Lindell and in. This bounce decided the game as the Stars were absolutely defeated after this heartbreaker.
Kasperi Kapanen sealed the deal with an empty net goal, and the Oilers are off to their second straight Stanley Cup Final. After losing the first two games against the Los Angeles Kings, nothing has stood in the Oilers’ way. The team holds an impressive 12–2 record since those games. Their biggest competition awaits in the Florida Panthers, who are playing in their third straight Stanley Cup Final. Will the Oilers’ offence continue to dominate against the Panthers? Or are we in for a low-scoring series?
What’s next for the Oilers?
The Oilers will have a prime opportunity to get some revenge on the team that broke their hearts last season. A rematch between the Panthers and Oilers will take place. Last year’s matchup certainly did not disappoint. A key difference in the upcoming series is that the Oilers will have home ice advantage. This played to the Panthers favour last year, who won game seven on home ice.
Looking at this year, both teams have made significant changes. The Oilers have added the likes of Viktor Arvidsson, Jake Walman, and Vasily Podkolzin. Meanwhile, the Panthers have added Seth Jones, Nate Schmidt, and Brad Marchand to boost their lineup. The goaltending matchup of Stuart Skinner and Sergei Bobrovsky will run it back. Both of these teams will get some rest before fighting for a spot in the history books. This matchup is going to be just as legendary as it was last year. Buckle up, the Stanley Cup Final will begin on Wednesday, June 4th in Edmonton.
Up Next: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ continues to contribute to the Edmonton Oilers postseason in a huge way
Follow The Oil Rig on social media!
