Heading into Game 4, in the minds of many, the Dallas Stars had all but put their boots on the neck of the Edmonton Oilers.
Monday’s 5-3 win was that of depth, a furious comeback, and Stanley Cup-worthy goaltending.
Well, how quickly the tide in the sea of sports can change.
Game 5 is tonight in Dallas, and after a convincing victory on Wednesday, in the minds of many, this could be anyone’s series.
The puck drops at 8:30 pm EST.
Can the Oilers Duplicate Game 4 Performance?
Within five minutes of the puck dropping, the Oilers were down 2-0. So, we can throw that out the window. The following 55 minutes was some of the best hockey the team had played all spring. They will need every bit of that to put the Central-winning Dallas Stars on the ropes this weekend.
Their defensive play has been pretty good all series, but it was even better on Wednesday. They didn’t score on the powerplay, again, but a shorthanded goal will do just fine when you win.
The real contributing factors of note were the goaltending and the depth, with goaltending being the biggest. If your depth doesn’t come through, you still do have two of the best players in the world to potentially bail you out. If your goaltending doesn’t come through, that’s a whole different situation entirely.
After allowing two quick goals, and one being on the first shot of the game, Stuart Skinner made a massive stop on Tyler Seguin, and shut the Stars down for the rest of the contest. Skinner has been one of the biggest variables when it comes to breaking down and predicting anything to do with this Edmonton team.
He had an incredible regular season but has struggled in decent stretches during these playoffs. Game 3 was lost off of a brutal shot from behind the goal line that had the potential to sink Skinner and the Oilers’ season. However, in Game 4, he made key saves at the right time, and this series is now a best-of-3.
It’s worthwhile to note that so far in the post-season, Skinner has a GAA of 2.71, which is a pretty good statistic. His SV% is .887, however, which means that even though his goals against numbers are good, his SV% isn’t because he’s not seeing a lot of shots. Right save, right time. That’s all the Oilers need.
Tanev is the Biggest Concern for Dallas
The Dallas Stars are no stranger to what happened on Wednesday night. In Game 1 and 2 against Colorado, they built big leads and watched them slip away. They went on to win the series.
The Oilers have built 2-0 leads twice, and they both vanished into thin air. It was bound to happen at some point to Dallas in this series.
The Stars have the offensive depth, and they have the goaltending. Goals have been scored by the young stars and the old guard. Jake Oettinger has a sparkling 2.20 GAA and a .919 SV%.
Game 4 was a tough look, but they have what it takes to rebound in both of those departments.
The real scary factor here is the status of defenseman Chris Tanev.
Tanev left the game on Wednesday after blocking a shot and did not return. Everyone is banged up in the playoffs, so the fact he didn’t return should raise some eyebrows.
If there’s one area of this Stars team that is not deep, it’s the D-core. 1-6, they have their players. Every pairing is good and capable of stopping this Oilers offense. However, if they lose one player, let alone a stud player like Tanev, there’s no knight in shinning armor to save them.
Petrovic is a steady player, but he’s only played five games this spring, and there’s a reason for that.
What to Expect in Game 5
The wonderful, beautiful thing about the Conference Finals so far, is that the deeper they go, the more unpredictable it seems they get. That goes for both the East and the West.
There’s nothing new here to hammer home for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner has to be great. If we learned anything in Game 4, it’s that he has the ability to rebound in the middle of the game, or in Wednesday’s case, the beginning.
McLeod, Janmark, and Brown all had strong showing for the Oilers in Game 4. Nothing can be different. The top guns for the Edmonton Oilers need all the help they can get, now more than ever.
For Dallas, there’s no doubt they missed a huge opportunity in Game 4. As much I think they have no reason to panic, this is a borderline must-win game. The series is even, and so is the momentum. However, heading back to Edmonton on the brink of elimination is daunting. They need to take care of business tonight.
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About The Author
Marc Sautter is a self-proclaimed sports addict, with the NHL being his specialty. After being a sports fan from afar, Marc made a career change in his 30s to cover sports through journalism and podcasting. His daily NHL preview and betting show “Pucks Across Borders” airs every weekday morning. In addition to hockey, you can read his work on the Canadian Football League all summer on Total Apex Sports.
