The Edmonton Oilers get their shot at revenge in the Stanley Cup Final after claiming a 6-3 road victory over the Dallas Stars on Thursday to close out the Western Conference finals.
Connor McDavid collected one goal and one assist as the Oilers dispatched the Stars in five games in the best-of-seven series and set up a rematch of last year’s finals against the Panthers, won by Florida in seven games.
Game 1 will be Wednesday at Edmonton.
Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark, Jeff Skinner, Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen also scored for the Oilers, who have won 12 of their last 14 playoff games and eliminated the Stars in the conference finals for the second consecutive year.
Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner made 14 saves.
Jason Robertson scored twice and Roope Hintz tallied once for Dallas, which has lost out in the Stanley Cup chase in the third round three straight years. Wyatt Johnston and Thomas Harley each recorded two assists.
Starting Dallas goalie Jake Oettinger was pulled after surrendering goals on the first two shots he faced. Casey DeSmith made 17 saves in relief.
Sensing their chance to close out the series, the Oilers staked an early 3-0 lead. Perry opened the scoring at 2:31 when he redirected McDavid’s centering pass for the power-play marker.
On Perry’s goal, McDavid collected his 100th career playoff assist in his 90th game, the second fastest player to hit the century mark for postseason helpers, behind only Wayne Gretzky (70 games).
Janmark doubled the lead at 7:09 by sliding home a breakaway chance. Jeff Skinner — playing his first game since the playoff opener — made it a 3-0 affair by banging home a rebound tally 58 seconds later for his first career playoff goal.
The Stars pushed back but could not draw even. Robertson scored for the third consecutive game when he gained a loose puck in the slot and rang a shot off the post and in at 11:40 of the opening frame.
Hintz made it a one-goal game with a power-play one-timer from the slot at 12:27 of the second period.
However, McDavid restored Edmonton’s two-goal lead two minutes later with a breakaway tally.
Robertson’s second of the game, a five-hole shot off the rush, again brought the Stars within one goal 38 seconds into the third period.
Kane responded at 3:21 of the period when his pass attempt banked off a defender and into the net to make it 5-3. Kapanen’s empty-net goal in the last minute rounded out the scoring.
Dallas failed to record a shot on goal in the final 16:17 of the game.
Oilers bounce Stars, clinch finals rematch vs. Panthers
https://arab.news/w4nbz
Oilers bounce Stars, clinch finals rematch vs. Panthers
- The Oilers now get another rematch, against defending Stanley Cup champion Florida after a seven-game series last June
Desert Vipers chief urges side to focus on playoff, not ILT20 trophy
- The Vipers, the most successful team this season with eight wins from 10 matches, take on the Emirates knowing the winner will secure a direct place in the final
DUBAI: The Desert Vipers’ director of cricket, Tom Moody, has urged his side to focus on the immediate challenge of Qualifier 1 against MI Emirates on Tuesday rather than lifting the DP World ILT20 trophy.
Speaking on the Vipers Voices podcast on Monday, Moody said: “You do not look at the prize, as simple as that. Yes, we all want to be successful. Yes, we all want to win trophies, but if you get too obsessed with that mission, you end up falling short.”
The Vipers, the most successful team this season with eight wins from 10 matches, take on the Emirates knowing the winner will secure a direct place in the final.
Moody, a former World Cup winner with Australia, stressed the importance of approaching the game positively and executing a perfect performance with bat, ball and in the field.
“If we just take that positive outlook and draw on the experience we have had, concentrate on just trying to put together our perfect game, we should be in good hands,” he said.
Moody acknowledged the strength of MI Emirates, led by Kieron Pollard, and highlighted the challenge of playing at Abu Dhabi, where the opposition is familiar with the conditions.
“They play most of their games there, so that is an advantage for them. But at the end of the day, you are not really playing the opposition; you are playing the ball,” he added.
Reflecting on the Vipers’ season, Moody said five of their eight league wins came in the final over, giving the team experience under pressure.
“It gives important lessons for the team and builds trust within the playing group,” he said.
He also addressed the impact of the cooler conditions in the UAE and dew on the finals series, saying the team must adapt regardless of the toss.
“From my perspective, the mindset we need to share is that it does not matter. We just need to adapt,” he said.
