Oilers bring 2-1 lead into game 4 against the Stars
Dallas Stars (50-26-6, in the Central Division) vs. Edmonton Oilers (48-29-5, in the Pacific Division)
Edmonton, Alberta; Tuesday, 8 p.m. EDT
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Oilers -166, Stars +138; over/under is 6.5
STANLEY CUP SEMIFINALS: Oilers lead series 2-1
BOTTOM LINE: The Edmonton Oilers host the Dallas Stars in the third round of the NHL Playoffs with a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams meet Sunday for the seventh time this season. The Oilers won the previous meeting 6-1. Zach Hyman scored two goals in the victory.
Edmonton is 48-29-5 overall and 30-14-3 in home games. The Oilers have gone 29-9-3 in games their opponents serve more penalty minutes.
Dallas is 24-21-3 on the road and 50-26-6 overall. The Stars have a 27-12-3 record in games their opponents commit more penalties.
TOP PERFORMERS: Leon Draisaitl has 52 goals and 54 assists for the Oilers. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has four goals and 10 assists over the last 10 games.
Matt Duchene has 30 goals and 52 assists for the Stars. Miro Heiskanen has one goal and seven assists over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Oilers: 8-2-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.6 assists, 3.3 penalties and 7.1 penalty minutes while giving up 2.1 goals per game.
Stars: 6-4-0, averaging 2.4 goals, 4.3 assists, 4.6 penalties and 10.4 penalty minutes while giving up 2.6 goals per game.
INJURIES: Oilers: None listed.
Stars: None listed.
___
The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
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New York Times
34 minutes ago
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EDMONTON — To be clear, there is no wrong answer. But it's been the eternal debate in these parts going back several years and several Edmonton Oilers coaching staffs: Do you load up Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on one line or keep them apart to spread out the offense? Yes and yes. Or perhaps more succinctly, it depends. Advertisement 'They like playing together, but the team needs them split up,' former Oilers head coach Ken Hitchcock told The Athletic on Thursday. 'But when it's crunch time and there needs to be a change in the way the game is being played and you put those two guys together, it makes all kinds of sense. Playing them apart balances everything, but they are almost unstoppable when they are together.'' So, yes and yes. 'It is a great tool to use as a momentum-changer, matchup-breaker or, as a coach would say, 'tilt the ice in our favor,'' former Oilers head coach Dave Tippett told The Athletic. 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I think it's important when Leon is playing center. It spreads out our scoring a little bit and also gets him in the game a little bit more. He's skating and involved. 'It allows the rest of our team (to know) that they've got a role. They've got to play well, and we're not just relying on this one line that's going to do all the work. Yeah, I don't know. It's nice to know when those two get together mid-game that the results are pretty good. But it's something that we can't rely on.' Advertisement That is why I would expect 97 and 29 to be split up when Game 2 starts Friday night. But there's always the break-the-glass option to reunite them. 'Kris seems to spread the workload a little more,' a Western Conference head coach, who requested anonymity, said Thursday when I asked him about the nuclear option. 'What I've noticed is that when they separate them, they get more from the wingers. I always find (Ryan) Nugent-Hopkins a better player with McDavid than if he has to drive his own line. It's the same with (Kasperi) Kapanen. He wasn't even in the lineup, but when he's playing with Draisaitl, that's the end-result benefit of spreading the two big guys. 'The product of their top two lines when they're apart is better than when they're together on one line. But I mean, obviously when they're together, it's a huge challenge.' And perhaps part of the reason the Oilers get immediate results when they do it mid-game is that it also can catch opponents off-guard and force them to react. Consider this from The Athletic's analytics expert Dom Luszczyszyn: 'In these playoffs, the Oilers have paired their two superstars on 17 percent of five-on-five shifts — a marked shift from last year's playoffs, where they only shared the ice 10 percent of the time. There are two key reasons for that, both of which rely on trust. 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an hour ago
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San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
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Panthers look to even the Stanley Cup Final against the Oilers in Game 2
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