The Dallas Stars, the best road team in the league, were tested by the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. The Stars fell to the Oilers 2-1 in a do-or-die Game 6 at Rogers Place. Edmonton won the series 4-2 over Dallas to advance to their first Stanley Cup Final since 2006.
The Stars’ starting lineup featured Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Tyler Seguin, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, and Jake Oettinger. Oettinger made eight saves in a losing effort.
Meanwhile, Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner made a whopping 34 saves for a hard-fought win.
Once again, Edmonton scored on the power play to open the first-period scoring. Chris Tanev was called for tripping against Zach Hyman at 3:35. Oilers captain Connor McDavid scored a power-play goal on a backhand shot for a 1-0 lead at 4:17. Leon Draisaitl and Evan Bouchard collected the assists on McDavid’s fifth of the playoffs.
The Oilers doubled their lead with a second power-play goal late in the first period. Ryan Suter was called for slashing against Cody Ceci at 14:22. Zach Hyman blasted a snap shot for a 2-0 lead at 15:42. Connor McDavid and Evan Bouchard collected the assists on Hyman’s 14th of the playoffs.
The Stars found themselves in a 2-0 deficit to the Oilers after the first period. Dallas outshot Edmonton 12-3 after 20 minutes.
Neither the Stars or Oilers scored in the second period to change the game’s momentum.
The Stars still trailed the Oilers 2-0 after two periods. Dallas outshot Edmonton 21-8 through 40 minutes.
The Stars finally got on the board in the third period. Mason Marchment fired a wrist shot into the Oilers’ net to cut the lead in half, 2-1, at 9:18. Tyler Seguin and Chris Tanev collected the assists on Marchment’s third of the playoffs.
The Stars pulled their goalie for an extra attacker late in the third period, but the Oilers withstood the Stars’ barrage.
The Stars lost to the Oilers 2-1 in regulation, despite outshooting Edmonton 35-10 after 60 minutes.
Notes
Homecoming Game
Sunday’s Game 6 was a homecoming for Alexander Petrovic, an Edmonton native. Petrovic signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Stars on July 28, 2021. The 32-year-old defenseman made his Stars playoff debut in the Western Conference semifinals’ Game 6 vs. the Colorado Avalanche on May 17 and recorded 16 minutes of ice time in relief of Nils Lundkvist.
Exceeding Expectations
Wyatt Johnston arguably endured a sophomore slump in the middle of the 2023-24 NHL season but eventually exceeded expectations. Johnston is now the eighth player in Dallas Stars history with ten or more goals in a playoff year, per Stars broadcaster Josh Bogorad.
Sunday Morning Update
According to the Stars’ senior writer Mike Heika, Mavrik Bourque was in for his NHL playoff debut, while Ty Dellandrea was out. Bourque made his NHL debut in a 3-2 loss to the Chicago Blackhawks on April 6.
Up Next
The Stars were eliminated, while the Oilers advance to the Stanley Cup Final vs. the Florida Panthers. Game 1 will be on June 8 at 7:00 p.m. Central.
