PREVIEW: Oilers at Stars (Game 2)

The Edmonton Oilers will try to draw even with the Dallas Stars on Friday night in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final at American Airlines Center.

You can watch the game on Sportsnet at 6:00 p.m. MDT or listen live on the Oilers Radio Network, including 880 CHED.

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Game previews during the 2025 Oilers playoffs are presented by Pizza 73 🍕

PREVIEW: Oilers at Stars (Game 2)

DALLAS, TX – Splitting on the road in the first two games of the Western Conference Final would’ve always been a positive outcome for the Oilers.

As they aim to even up the series with a victory in Game 2 at American Airlines Center before heading back to Edmonton for Games 3 & 4, their collective desire to avoid going down 2-0 to the Stars and bounce back from Wednesday’s disappointing 6-3 defeat in Game 1 has everyone in the locker room feeling like they missed out on a great opportunity, and that Friday is a ‘must-win’ game.

“You don't want to go down 0-2. It's that simple,” Corey Perry said. “But I think after last night with the way that it all went down and what happened, everybody's got that feeling that we let one slip away, and we’re a little upset this morning. So you go out tomorrow and use it to your advantage. You play harder, you do the little things a little harder, and the bigger things will happen.

"That second game is important. You start on the road and you’re hoping for a split. We have that opportunity tomorrow.”

The Oilers know their penalty kill will have to be better if they’re going to even up the series on Friday night after it unravelled for three power-play goals against in a 5:26 stretch of Dallas’ five-goal third period in Game 1, overturning a two-goal lead for Edmonton to take a 1-0 lead in the Western Final.

Holding a 3-1 lead after 40 minutes, the Oilers faced a crucial kill with 58 seconds left in a carry-over hooking penalty to Brett Kulak near the end of the second period. Miro Heiskanen scored through traffic to cut into the lead before a pair of high-sticking calls against Evander Kane and Corey Perry resulted in two more quick strikes from Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene 2:09 apart to give Dallas the 4-3 lead.

Tyler Seguin then combined with Sam Steel off the rush with under four minutes left for his second goal of the game, and Esa Lindell added an empty-netter to seal the 6-3 victory in stunned fashion for the Blue & Orange, who controlled the majority of play at five-on-five and scored a PPG in the first 40 minutes.

“Really good for 40, and really bad for 20, Connor McDavid said. “Ultimately, that's what it came down to. We can’t put ourselves in that position. We had a two-goal lead in the third, and we took a couple of penalties, and we’ve got to find a way to get a kill. Giving up three is obviously not good enough.”

The Oilers scored their first PPG of the playoffs away from Rogers Place (1-for-15), but their penalty kill has now been beaten 14 times on 37 tries (62.2 percent), which is more than double that of each of the other three remaining teams in Dallas, Carolina and Florida, who also own the top three penalty-kill percentages in the playoffs.

To limit both penalties and rush chances, Head Coach Kris Knoblauch says his team can do a better job by limiting the opportunities they need to defend in their own zone, using better forechecking that leads to more puck possession and less time for Dallas to attack.

"The more time you defend, the more time you're in a position to take a penalty," the coach said. "When they push, you're in a position to defend, and you're getting vulnerable to having to take a stick infraction or any infraction. The more we can possess the puck, the more we can spend in the offensive zone, and we'll be less likely to spend time where we'll take penalties. I hope we're not taking penalties in the offensive zone.

"They're a good five-on-five team and do exceptionally well on the power play. We'll have to adjust to get better and give them fewer opportunities."

To limit both penalties and rush chances, Head Coach Kris Knoblauch says his team can do a better job by limiting the opportunities they need to defend in their own zone, using better forechecking that leads to more puck possession and less time for Dallas to attack.

"The more time you defend, the more time you're in a position to take a penalty," the coach said. "When they push, you're in a position to defend, and you're getting vulnerable to having to take a stick infraction or any infraction. The more we can possess the puck, the more we can spend in the offensive zone, and we'll be less likely to spend time where we'll take penalties. I hope we're not taking penalties in the offensive zone.

"They're a good five-on-five team and do exceptionally well on the power play. We'll have to adjust to get better and give them fewer opportunities."

The Oilers have become accustomed to these early roadblocks in the 2025 playoffs, falling to 2-4 in Game 1s as they try to find their footing early in the series before figuring out their opponent. This one will appear no different, but luckily, they have proven experience navigating these challenges.

Heading into Game 2, the Oilers will try to correct their shorthanded struggles to take back home-ice advantage.

"This group's always responded to these types of situations pretty well, and I'd expect the same tomorrow night," McDavid said. "We've had disappointment through various times in these playoffs and have responded really well. I expect us to do that again tomorrow."

"We've been really good in high-pressure situations, high-pressure games. Game 2 would be one of those where we've got to find a way to get a win here. A lot of positives came out of Game 1. We didn't find a way to get a win. We don't need to change a whole lot. We get a kill or two, and that game's maybe different. It's a great opportunity for our group."