PREVIEW: Oilers at Stars (Game 2)

The Edmonton Oilers aim to take a 2-0 series lead over the Dallas Stars on Saturday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center.

You can watch the game on Sportsnet & Hockey Night in Canada at 6:00 p.m. MT or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 630 CHED.

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PREVIEW: Oilers at Stars (Game 2)

DALLAS, TX – The Oilers look to leave the Lone Star State with more than a lone victory as they get set for Game 2 of the Western Conference Final against the Stars on Saturday at American Airlines Center.

Much like thousands who celebrated across Oil Country, the Oilers cheered in unison when the captain capped off a thriller in double overtime on Thursday in Game 1 after he redirected Evan Bouchard's pass inside the far post only 32 seconds into the second extra period to secure the 3-2 victory and a 1-0 series lead for the Blue & Orange.

Simply put, the Oilers were effective and efficient in Game 1.

Let’s start with their efficiency. That was headlined by the man between the pipes. In goaltending terms, Stuart Skinner’s economy of movement was tested early with two big saves in the opening minutes on Evgenii Dadonov's breakaway and Jamie Benn's rebound.

He looked calm and composed, even when things around him got frantic, and his compete was at a high level for the full 80:32 of regulation and overtime. The Oilers netminder is 3-0 since returning to the crease in Game 6 of the Second Round against Vancouver, assembling a 1.50 goals-against average and .923 save percentage in his last three games.

“I thought Stu was solid,” Head Coach Kris Knoblauched said as he opened his media availability on Thursday. “I thought he made some key saves throughout the night. He looked confident. I thought his puck play was really good,” stated the bench boss, who now has 55 wins in 82 games since taking over the bench on Nov 12.

On the topic of efficiency, the Oilers penalty kill maintained its tremendous run in recent games on Saturday by showing its game-breaking ability when it mattered most for their team.

The Stars had five power-play opportunities in Game 1, including a four-minute man advantage in overtime on a double minor assessed to the Oilers captain for high-sticking Matt Duchene right off the opening faceoff. The short-handed combinations looked in control yet again, growing its streak of perfect kills to 19 straight penalties and six straight double minors dating back to the regular season.

“Throughout the playoffs, we’ve had a good rhythm on it,” shared Derek Ryan, who's one of the primary ingredients to the Oilers PK's incredible run. “I feel like it’s one of those things where you build momentum and build confidence as a unit. I think we have some D-pairings and forward pairings that have done it, and done it with success.

“Special teams are obviously huge this time of year. It’s something that a lot of us take a lot of pride in. I think we’ve done a great job. Our work ethic has gone up, our structure and details have gone up. They have to this time of year. Usually, your best penalty killer is your goaltender and I think Stu’s done a great job of that. And the guys up front have done a good job as well.”

The entire Oilers' coaching staff deserves tremendous praise for how high this team’s special teams have reached, beginning with Assistant Coaches Mark Stuart and Glen Gulutzan. The power play ranks second in the playoffs ( only 0.1 percent behind Colorado) and their penalty leads with a 92.5 percent mark.

The Oilers have outscored opponents 15-3 on special teams in the 2024 playoffs, and when you combine that with their powerplay only getting one opportunity to Dallas’ five on Thursday night, fans should feel even more encouraged about the victory with the way they're playing at five-on-five.

But this is a Stars squad that knows all about victories.

To start, their primary colour is victory green. Fittingly so. This is a team that has 38 wins since Jan 1 — the second most only to the 40 that were put up by royal-blue-collared Oilers. The visitors at the American Airlines Center on Saturday are expecting a pushback from the best regular season team in the Western Conference, but the stoic Brett Kulak sat before the media on Friday in Dallas and indicated their group is ready.

“It’s something you’ve got to be prepared for and you’re going to want to work through," he said. "We’ve been through a lot in the regular season, which is helping us at this time. It helps when you’ve got a good group too where everybody supports everybody.”

Now going full circle, beating a stingy Stars club will require another effective effort on all fronts for the Oilers, especially if Roope Hintz is to return.

The three-time 30-goal scorer skated with the Stars on Friday and Head Coach Peter DeBoer confirmed that he was a “possibility” to return in Game 2.

Hintz and the Stars led Edmonton for 180:10 out of a possible 180:30 during their season series — that is an incredible 98.8%. This is a team that can dominate stretches and they remain a battle-tested group which has won four of their last five series after giving up the first game.

Knoblauch hinted that the Oilers have a hard decision ahead to make with their lineup as Adam Henrique gets set to return for the first time since Game 2 of the Second Round against the Canucks.

"Yeah, we have a decision to make," he said. "He's very close and more time off is only going to make him 100 percent, and right now, he's probably 98 percent or he could come into the lineup. Now. we have to make a decision on what's best for our team, and he hasn't played for a while, but a player like Adam would be a huge boost to our team. That's something we have to decide."

The Oilers were in control on Thursday for long stretches by taking care of the details; taking care of them as this series goes on will be even more paramount for Edmonton. With an incredible puck battle win by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins — won solely on effort and determination alone —Edmonton needs to look no further than their own winner from Game 1 for the importance of this sentiment.

Championship habits as they say.

The Oilers will look to upkeep theirs on Saturday night.