A quick look at the NHL’s Western Conference final between the Oilers and Stars

A quick look at the NHL’s Western Conference best-of-seven final between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars starting Wednesday:

RECENT HISTORY: The Oilers ousted the Stars in six games in last year’s conference final. Game 1 went to double overtime, with Edmonton captain Connor McDavid scoring the winner. The Stars have now reached the conference final for a third straight year.

SEASON SERIES: Dallas won the season series 2-1, including a 1-1 record after acquiring Mikko Rantanen at the trade deadline. The Finnish star had a goal and two assists in those two games.

COMING IN: Edmonton is the more rested team, with extra time to pre-scout after dispatching the Vegas Golden Knights in five games. The Stars eliminated the Winnipeg Jets in six.

GOALTENDING: Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner is riding back-to-back shutouts and has a 2-1 record since returning in place of the injured Calvin Pickard. Jake Oettinger has posted a 2.47 goals-against average and .919 save percentage for Dallas this post-season.

BIG GUNS: Rantanen is a one-man wrecking crew with a playoff-leading nine goals and 10 assists, while Roope Hintz has contributed five goals and five assists. The Oilers’ dynamic duo of McDavid and Leon Draisaitl have combined for eight goals and 25 assists. Draisaitl and Corey Perry, who turned 40 on Friday, each have a team-leading five goals.

DEPTH DIFFERENCE: Edmonton has nine players with three or more playoff goals. Dallas has five.

KEEP AN EYE ON: Oilers shutdown defenceman Mattias Ekholm could be healthy enough to play in this series after sitting out the first two rounds. Jason Robertson, who was the leading goal scorer for Dallas in the regular season (35), had a quiet second round after returning from a knee injury with one assist in six games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 20, 2025.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press