Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson and Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid look for the puck in the Oilers zone during the third period in game 2 of the Western Conference at American Airlines Center, in Dallas, on May 25.Jerome Miron/Reuters
The Oilers had mixed feelings as they flew back to Edmonton from Dallas on Sunday afternoon. They were glad they split the first two games of the NHL’s Western Conference final series but disappointed not to come home with a 2-0 lead.
“I guess that’s a positive,” Connor McDavid said after Saturday’s 3-1 loss at American Airlines Center. “You never like to lose. We had a big opportunity here tonight and we didn’t capitalize.”
The stars weren’t aligned for a second successive Edmonton victory. Dallas looked every bit like the team that eliminated Vegas in seven games in the opening round and then polished off Colorado in six.
Jake Oettinger of the Stars, a finalist for the Vézina Trophy awarded to the NHL’s top goalie, stopped 28 of 29 in Game 2 and has turned away 63 of 67 so far.
He has been just a tad better than Stuart Skinner of the Oilers, who has thwarted 53 of 57 attempts in the first two games.
“You’d rather take two games when you go into a good team’s building but we are happy with the split,” Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, a winger for Edmonton, said Sunday. “It is going to be a hard-fought series and we have a chance going home 1-1. We should be excited.”
The third and fourth games will be played at Rogers Place on Monday and Wednesday. Teams that win Game 3 when a best-of-seven series is tied 1-1 in the conference final or semi-final are 59-18.
“Before the series started if you said we were going to come home 1-1 we would have been satisfied,” Kris Knoblauch, the Oilers coach, said before the team’s four-hour flight back. “But when you win the first one you always want to win the next.
“We are in a good position and it’s nice that we are going back to Edmonton to play in front of our fans.”
There are “Let’s Go Oilers” signs all over the city and people are dressed in team sweaters as they go about their business. The Oilers hope to reach the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2006 when they lost to the Carolina Hurricanes in seven games.
They lost to the Avalanche in the conference final two summers ago when Colorado went on to win the championship.
Dallas is a veteran-laden team that reached the conference final last year when it lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights. They have reached the finals five times but won only once, in 1999.
“We have an opportunity to make the most out of our home games,” Edmonton defenceman Darnell Nurse said.
The Oilers went 28-9-4 on home ice during the regular season. Only Colorado and the New York Rangers were better.
Dallas did a good job at shutting down Leon Draisaitl and McDavid in Saturday’s victory. Draisaitl had points in all 13 previous postseason games. It was also the first time that both that Draisaitl and McDavid had both been shut out in the same game.
“At this time of year you have to bear down as much as you can on every chance you get,” Nugent-Hopkins said. “They don’t come around that often. You never know when it is going to be the difference maker.”
Rogers Place will be loud on Monday as fans try to inspire their beloved Oilers.
“It’s an amazing place to play at this time of year,” said Derek Ryan, the fourth-line centre. “When you warm up you can see people outside through the windows. You drive around the city and there are Oilers flags everywhere. I go to the grocery store and people come up to me and thank me and are appreciative and supportive.
“It’s a great place to play.”
The ball is now in Edmonton’s court.
“We’ll try to use the energy from the fans and keep building our game,” defenceman Mattias Ekholm said. “It’s even now. We feel good about that. Now it’s time to raise our level and dictate the game.”