The Edmonton Oilers picked up their biggest win in the playoffs in years, winning Game 5 and taking a 3-2 series lead against the Dallas Stars. The Oilers’ power play showed up and their penalty kill stayed perfect, dominating the Stars for most of the game except for a stretch in the third period. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals and Philip Broberg scored a goal in the win.
Edmonton needed to win a game in Dallas if they were going to stand a chance in this series. The Oilers did far more than that, holding the Stars to only 10 shots after two periods. Dallas pushed in the third, but goaltender Stuart Skinner was stellar, shutting the door on some high-danger chances. Wyatt Johnston tippled a beautiful goal later in the final frame, but it wasn’t enough as Edmonton held off a sustained push. Skinner stopped 19 of 20 shots.
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Leon Draisaitl said before the game he believed the Oilers’ best could beat anyone’s best in the league and Edmonton seemed to take that message to heart. Among the best was Nugent-Hopkins who now has 20 points this postseason. He’s one of four players on the team to hit the 20-point marker. Evan Bouchard picked up two more assists.
Broberg played well in Game 4 and all the Oilers could have asked for was reliability. Not only has he provided that, but he chipped in on offense, which few would have expected. He played well, made good reads, used his speed, and wasn’t a liability.
There was a scary moment late in the first when Corey Perry took a big hit and looked injured. He didn’t return in the first and then missed a chunk of the second. He showed up partway through the middle frame and looked fine, which was a relief for the Oilers.
Oilers With a Chance to Close Out The Series on Sunday
The Oilers are now just one win away from their first berth in the Stanley Cup Final in 18 years. They’ll head back to Edmonton with a chance to close out the series on Sunday. Edmonton is solid at home and will be pumped for a game where they know this is their opportunity to send a message and avoid an elimination game.
The Oilers are showing how strong a team they are and Kris Knoblauch should get credit for the calls he’s making. They have skill, speed, timely offense and can be solid defensively. They seem to be getting better as the playoffs roll along which is huge.
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