Oilers Take Game Five to Put Stars on Brink of Elimination

With the series knotted at two, the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers made their way back to the Lone Star State for Game Five of the Western Conference Finals. Both the Stars and the Oilers wanted to maintain momentum throughout the game and seize control of the series after both teams overcame two-goal deficits in Games Three and Four held in Edmonton. With the Stars going 0-for-9 on the power play and the Oilers going 0-for-6, the penalty kill units for both teams have been crucial thus far in the series. Therefore, in Game Five, both teams wanted to stop their rivals' impressive penalty-kill performance. In Game Five, the Oilers proved to be the team to shine when they had the man advantage, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scoring two goals for the Oilers, helping them win 3-1 over the Stars and grab a 3-2 series lead. 

Throughout the first half of the opening period, both teams' defenses took control of the game, allowing just eight combined shots on goal. After Ryan Suter of the Stars was given a roughing penalty with six minutes remaining in the first period, the Oilers would get their first power play of the game. At 14:09, just 18 seconds into the man advantage, Evan Bouchard's shot from the right circle in the Stars' zone deflected off goalie Jake Oettinger's pad, giving Nugent-Hopkins a chance to bury the puck into the open net for the team's first power play goal of the series, giving the Oilers a 1-0 lead. The Stars would have a power play opportunity to respond as Edmonton was penalized for too many men on the ice before the end of the period. However, the Oilers penalty kill would hold firm once again, and they would lead going into intermission.  

To start the second period, only 50 seconds in, Stars' Miro Heiskanen was called for a delay of game penalty, sending the Oilers to their second power play of the game. Just 16 seconds into the power play, at 1:06, Leon Draisaitl cross-iced the puck to Nugent-Hopkins, who was barreling into the Stars' zone. Nugent-Hopkins snap-shot the puck off the post and into the net for his second goal of the game and sixth goal of the playoffs, and the Oilers quickly extended their lead to 2-0. Following an offensive zone face-off victory, the Oilers would increase their lead to 3-0 at 5:09 when Philip Broberg, receiving a pass from Adam Henrique close to the blue line, slapped the puck past Oettinger and through traffic for his first goal of the postseason. 

In the third period, with 5:51 left in regulation, Logan Stankoven passed the puck to Thomas Harley near the top of the zone, and Harley shot the puck toward the net. Wyatt Johnston was there in front of the crease to deflect the puck off his stick and past goalie Stuart Skinner and into the net, cutting the Oilers' lead to 3-1. With two minutes left, the Stars pulled Oettinger in an attempt to gain late momentum in the game with the extra attacker. Yet, the Oilers’ defense held firm, stifling the Stars' offensive production and winning Game Five 3-1 on the road to get one step closer to the Stanley Cup Finals. On Sunday night, the Oilers will return to Edmonton for Game Six aiming to close out the series against the Stars.