The Edmonton Oilers outlasted the Dallas Stars to win Game 6 of the Western Conference Final, 2-1, and punched their ticket to the Stanley Cup Final.
You can’t necessarily say the Oilers’ offense dominated when they were outshot 35-10 in the game. But you can say they fully capitalized on their opportunities—they rode the power play and strong defense and goaltending all the way to victory.
Connor McDavid opened the scoring when he navigated his way through traffic in front of the net to flick it past Stars goalie Jake Oettinger. That goal was Edmonton’s first shot of the game.
This goal gave McDavid his 30th point of the playoffs, the second time he’s reached the mark in his career. He wasn’t finished penciling himself onto the scoresheet. Later in the first period, he perfectly set up Zach Hyman for a shot from the circle to extend the lead to 2-0.
Hyman picked up his 14th goal, the most so far in this year’s Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Oilers scored on both power-play opportunities and on two of their first three shots of the game.
Dallas continued to pound the net and halfway through the third period, they finally broke through. On the 30th Dallas shot of the game, Mason Marchment found the back of the net to cut the lead in half, making it 2-1.
However, it was too little too late, as the Oilers held on to win and the two teams lined up to shake hands.
Oilers’ goalie Stuart Skinner had the performance of his life thus far, saving 34 of 35 shots in the clinching game. The Oilers’ defense in front of him came to play as well by blocking 20 shots.
The Stars did a lot right. Along with outshooting the Oilers by an insane margin, they won their faceoffs (56.6%) and outhit their opponent (31 to 18). However, a lot went wrong. The glaring statistic is that they went 0-for-3 on the power play. It made the difference in a one-goal contest. As a result, they’re heading home for the offseason.
The Oilers are heading to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006 and look to win their first Cup since 1990. In turn, McDavid is within striking distance of winning it all for the first time in his career. They will face the Florida Panthers.
Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final will be on Saturday, June 8 at 8 p.m.
