Western Conference Final Preview: The Rundown

It took a thrilling seven-game series with a 3-2 nailbiter to decide who the Dallas Stars would face. But the Edmonton Oilers it is. This will be a fun Western Conference Final with star power all over the ice and some of the best skaters in the game making an impact on every shift.

What You Need to Know

●      The Stars were the best team in the Western Conference with a 52-21-9 record and have been remarkable on both ends of the ice. They scored 3.59 goals per game and allowed only 2.83 goals per game, proving they have no glaring weakness.

●      The Oilers are led by their offense, scoring 3.56 goals per game but their defense, notably after they hired Kris Knoblauch, has been great as well, allowing only 2.88 goals per game.

●      This series features a handful of young rising talents who are taking the league by storm. For the Stars, it’s Wyatt Johnston, their 21-year-old forward who scored 32 goals this season and has seven in the playoffs. The Oilers meanwhile are seeing 24-year-old defenseman Evan Bouchard, who made his mark as one of the top two-way players this season, light up the lamp in the playoffs with five goals and 15 assists.

●      Both teams battled to reach the conference final. The Stars played a seven-game series in the First Round against the Vegas Golden Knights and then played a six-game series with the Colorado Avalanche. The Oilers took care of the Los Angeles Kings easily in the First Round, winning the series in five games but then went the distance in a back-and-forth seven-game series against the Canucks. 

Key Matchups

The Oilers stepped up on the defensive end of the ice in the Second Round, limiting the Canucks to only 21.2 shots per game. The defensive unit will have its hands full against a potent offense with the Stars creating scoring chances at will. The stat everyone is repeating: The Stars had eight skaters score 20 goals or more this season. They have the firepower and depth to run up the score. 

Led by Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Zach Hyman, the Oilers will hope to win with speed and effective puck movement. The Stars have the defensive unit that can stop them whether it’s Thomas Harley, Miro Heiskanen, or veteran Chris Tanev, who turned around the defense midseason after he was acquired at the trade deadline.

Speaking of the Stars’ defense, they’ll have to open up the offense at the point. Heiskanen has five goals and eight assists in the playoffs but the rest of the unit has struggled, contributing only two goals and seven assists. They’ll need to generate shots on the net and pressure an Oilers goaltending unit that has struggled in the playoffs.

This leads to the final matchup which is the goaltending. The Stars have Jake Oettinger carrying the weight with a .918 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.09 goals-against average (GAA) on 355 shots with 5.4 goals saved above average (GSAA). The Oilers meanwhile don’t have a clear-cut number one in the net with Stuart Skinner starting 10 games while Calvin Pickard started two games. They have a .888 SV% and a 2.75 GAA on 294 shots with -4.5 GSAA.

Prediction

The Oilers have a lot of momentum following their series victory capped off with a thrilling Game 7 win. The problem is that the Stars are well-rested and more importantly, the better, more complete team. The Oilers have depth but the Stars have it at another level. Expect their bottom six to find a few crucial goals while Johnston and Jason Robertson, one of the other elite scorers to continue to net goals. On the other end of the ice, Harley and Heiskanen will limit McDavid and Draisaitl but more importantly, Oettinger will close out this series in the net. 

Look for the Oilers to put up a fight yet expect the Stars to ultimately come out on top and advance to the Stanley Cup Final. 

Prediction: Stars in 7