The Edmonton Oilers can put away the Dallas Stars and lock in a Stanley Cup Final berth with a win in Game 5 on Thursday. After dropping Game 1, the Oilers have rattled off three straight wins to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Final.
Perhaps the key to Edmonton making it four straight wins is the ability to keep the Stars’ top weapons off the board. The Oilers have contained them very well in the last few games, allowing just two goals in the process.
Mikko Rantanen’s goal drought has now hit seven games, Wyatt Johnston has been ineffective and Matt Duchene and Jamie Benn have been quiet all postseason.
Considering the Oilers will now be without Zach Hyman for the rest of the postseason, they will have to keep the Stars’ deep stable of offensive skill players in check. That said, Edmonton is far from devoid of firepower in its lineup.
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the top two scorers in the NHL playoffs, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has caught fire in this series with four consecutive multi-point games.
Even more importantly for the Oilers, Stuart Skinner has completely turned things around in these playoffs. Following a disastrous start in the first round, when Skinner lost his job to Calvin Pickard, he has been elite of late. In his last five starts, Skinner has a .950 save percentage and a 1.37 GAA.
We’ll see whether Skinner can keep that going in front of what should be a raucous American Airlines Center crowd as the Stars try to keep their season alive in Game 5 on Thursday night.
Western Conference Final Schedule
All times Eastern, you can stream the entire series on fubo (try for free)
Game 1: Stars 6, Oilers 3 | Recap
Game 2: Oilers 3, Stars 0 | Recap
Game 3: Oilers 6, Stars 1 | Recap
Game 4: Oilers 4, Stars 1 | Recap
Game 5: Thursday, May 29 | 8 p.m. | at DAL | ESPN
*Game 6: Saturday, May 31 | 8 p.m. | at EDM | ABC
*Game 7: Monday, June 2 | 8 p.m. | at DAL | ESPN
Stars vs. Oilers odds
Odds via DraftKings
- Series odds: Stars +600, Oilers -900
- Game 5 odds: Stars -135, Oilers +114
Stars vs. Oilers: Game 5 score prediction
It’s hard to believe that this Stars team would go down in five games to anyone, but they haven’t been particularly inspiring in this series. The absence of Hyman should only highlight the the Stars’ edge when it comes to depth, but the top players must break out of this funk. The Stars survive an early push from McDavid and Co., Rantanen gets on the board and they send this series back to Edmonton in a shootout. Prediction — Stars 5, Oilers 4
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