Morphinity 2.0 Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 (1C) Dallas Stars vs. (2P) Edmonton Oilers REGULAR SEASON STANDINGS: Stars: 52-21-9, 113 points; defeated Colorado Avalanche 4-2 in the second round Avalanche: 49-27-6 107 points; defeated Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in the second round SEASON SERIES: DAL: 2-0-1, COL: 1-2-0 GAME BREAKERS: Stars: You could still argue Wyatt Johnston for this category, but we'll go with Miro Heiskanen for this round. The defenseman has been outstanding in the postseason, leading the Stars with 13 points (five goals, eight assists). Heiskanen came up big in the second round, when he had eight points (four goals, four assists). He is averaging 28:01 of ice time per game, most among defensemen still in the postseason. Oilers: Leon Draisaitl narrowly edges McDavid, like he's doing in postseason production. The forward leads the playoffs with 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists); McDavid is next with 21 points (two goals, 19 assists). Draisaitl is also first with a 2.00 points-per-game average and six power-play goals. He has two game-winning goals in 12 postseason games, tied with Zach Hyman for second on the Oilers behind defenseman Evan Bouchard (three). GOALTENDING: Stars: Jake Oettinger (8-5) is one of three goalies with eight postseason wins, with Igor Shesterkin of the New York Rangers (8-2) and Sergei Bobrovsky of the Florida Panthers (8-3). Oettinger has been up to the task once again, with a 2.09 goals-against average and .918 save percentage. He saved his best for his last start, making 29 saves in a 2-1 double-overtime win to eliminate the Avalanche. Oilers: Edmonton changed goalies for two games in the second round, but Stuart Skinner has gotten most of the starts, going 7-3 with a 2.87 GAA, .881 save percentage and one shutout. He made 15 saves in a 3-2 win against Vancouver on Monday, the first Game 7 of his NHL career. Calvin Pickard is 1-1 with a 2.21 GAA and .915 save percentage in three games (two starts). X FACTORS: Stars: Roope Hintz did not play Games 5 or 6 against the Avalanche because of an upper-body injury, and the forward's availability will be crucial if the Stars hope to match the Oilers' star power in the conference final. Hintz had 1.26 points per game (24 in 19 games) to lead the Stars last postseason. He would give them unmatched center depth among the remaining playoff teams, with him being their No. 1 option, and forwards Johnston, Joe Pavelski, Matt Duchene, Tyler Seguin and Logan Stankoven also capable of playing the position at a high level. Oilers: Evander Kane was a key playoff performer in 2022, when he had 13 goals and 17 points in 15 games. The forward was tied for most goals that postseason and first with 0.87 goals per game (minimum eight games). In these playoffs, Kane has seven points (four goals, three assists) in 12 games and plays on a line with Draisaitl. He had two points (one goal, one assist) and 10 shots on goal in three games against the Stars during the regular season and has scored at least 20 goals in eight straight seasons (minimum 42 games). WILL WIN IF: Stars: They continue to get balanced scoring. There are nine Stars players who have at least six points during the postseason and all on the playoff roster has at least one except defenseman Alexander Petrovic, who made his 2024 postseason debut in Game 6 against the Avalanche. The Stars have gotten scoring from a lot of different players, and that depth makes them dangerous. Oilers: They get more of what they did in their past two games. The Oilers talked a lot Monday about how everyone contributed on both ends of the ice in Games 6 and 7 against the Canucks. That was especially true on the score sheet, where names other than McDavid and Draisaitl were present often. It was center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. It was Bouchard. It was left wing Dylan Holloway. Yes, balance and depth are two words that come up a lot in the playoffs, but for good reason. MORE: https://www.nhl.com/news/dallas-vs-edmonton-2024-playoff-preview Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vodka Drunkenski Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 Sweep 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sharpshooter Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 I'll be surprised if this goes more than five games. Dallas all the way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gravesy Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 (edited) Man, it would be really enjoyable if the Oilers can pull this off. But I'm pretty sure they can't, even with the Stars injuries piling up. Dallas is just a total wagon. Edited May 21 by Gravesy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsm7302 Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 Chiclets mentioned the Stars have 3 or 4 of the longest tenured NHL players with no cup. They also said retread coaches who have won a cup have not been able to repeat with a different team since Scotty Bowman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albatrosss Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 3 hours ago, jsm7302 said: Chiclets mentioned the Stars have 3 or 4 of the longest tenured NHL players with no cup. They also said retread coaches who have won a cup have not been able to repeat with a different team since Scotty Bowman. Fuck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Albatrosss Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 Dallas in 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siddious Posted May 21 Share Posted May 21 I voted Dallas in 4 all but ensuring Edmonton in 7. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaveByRichter35 Posted May 22 Share Posted May 22 Dallas sweep. 5 most. @Valriera and @BrooksBurner go home you're drunk lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karan Posted May 22 Share Posted May 22 Vegas and Colorado exposed a few weaknesses in the Stars game which I could see the Oilers pouncing on as well, especially since their PP is almost unstoppable. I just can't see this being a sweep. As such, I see the Oilers taking a couple games, but ultimately the Stars superior depth and experience will be too much for them to overcome. Stars in 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted May 22 Share Posted May 22 10 hours ago, Karan said: Vegas and Colorado exposed a few weaknesses in the Stars game which I could see the Oilers pouncing on as well, especially since their PP is almost unstoppable. I just can't see this being a sweep. As such, I see the Oilers taking a couple games, but ultimately the Stars superior depth and experience will be too much for them to overcome. Stars in 6. No doubt the Stars do have some Greybeards who have been through it... But 1/3 of their lineup are basically rookies. Including 2/3 of their top line. They've been able to do it to this point, but that's the X Factor imo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Posted May 22 Share Posted May 22 Otty over Skinner....this one's done in 6. Big D goes to the Finals Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abe Froman Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 2-1 Edmonton in the second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valriera Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Meanwhile, this game is not boring 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abe Froman Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 (edited) Yes. Quite a contrast between this game and last night's game brought to you by Ambien. Edited May 24 by Abe Froman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Abe Froman Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 O Tee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichieNextel305 Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 McDavid robbed toward end of OT1. McDavid wins it immediately in OT2. Game 1 to Edmonton. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karan Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Dallas didn't look like their usual selves in this game, a bit slow and rusty. Expecting them to be much better in G2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valriera Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 What a game this was, peak playoff hockey 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooksBurner Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Edmonton has been getting slept on too much. Since 11/12 when Knob got hired as coach, they have had the best record, 2nd best xGF%, 2nd best GF%, best HDCF%, 3rd PP, 7th PK. Best team on paper in the league. They should have been the favorites to win the Cup headed into the final four, and I think most here probably would have had them ranked last. Vancouver not too far behind them, and neither was Dallas. These are very tough opponents, but the Oilers have had the edge on both for 6 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJWantsTheCup Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 Edmonton doesn't get more respect because most people don't believe in their goltending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrooksBurner Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 2 minutes ago, RJWantsTheCup said: Edmonton doesn't get more respect because most people don't believe in their goltending. Edmonton was 8th in sv% this year. Probably helped by the fact Edmonton was 5th in high dangers chances allowed. In general though, the new age strategy is it's better to have a great team and average goaltending, because if the team is playing great they don't need star goaltending. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karan Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 1 hour ago, RJWantsTheCup said: Edmonton doesn't get more respect because most people don't believe in their goltending. That and the general impression appears to be that they're a two-pronged team i.e. you find a way to shutdown McDavid/Draisaitl, then their secondary scorers can't do a whole lot by themselves. Which is probably true to a degree. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Posted May 24 Share Posted May 24 3 minutes ago, Karan said: That and the general impression appears to be that they're a two-pronged team i.e. you find a way to shutdown McDavid/Draisaitl, then their secondary scorers can't do a whole lot by themselves. Which is probably true to a degree. It's this, to a T. They have sub-par goaltending and zero depth. Doesn't matter what regular season stats say, it's hard to win with no goalie and just 2-3 players clicking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valriera Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 To be fair, we are a two line team with generally spectacular goaltending and that’s not far away from a two line team so the sub par goaltending. I don’t think they’re getting slept on, I think they’re probably rated about right. All that said, I’ve been highly impressed with their last three games. Their bottom six can’t score but they’re really fast and knoblauch has them playing hard and consistent. They would have handily won game 1 in regulation if not for a lucky bounce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now