Oilers bring 2-1 lead into game 4 against the Stars
Associated Press
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.
recommended
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Miami Herald
2 hours ago
- Miami Herald
After excelling on road all playoffs, it's time for Panthers to produce at home in Cup Final
The Florida Panthers have found a way to thrive on the road during this Stanley Cup playoffs run. It's a major reason why they're back in the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, why they're oh so close to repeating as champions. But with their best-of-7 Cup Final series with the Oilers tied 1-1 after opening the series in Edmonton, Florida needs to take advantage of home ice while it has it with the series shifting back to Sunrise for the next two games. Game 3 is at Amerant Bank Arena, with puck drop at 8 p.m. Monday (TNT, truTV, Max). Game 4 is 8 p.m. Thursday. By splitting the first two games in Edmonton — losing 4-3 in overtime in Game 1, winning 5-4 in double overtime in Game 2 — the Panthers can theoretically close out the Cup Final and secure their second consecutive championship by simply winning out on home ice. Florida would also host Game 6 should the series extends that far. 'Our fans buzz at home and we love that,' defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. 'It's really exciting to play in front of them.' But the Panthers haven't done as well on home ice as they have on the road this postseason. Granted, they haven't had as many opportunities to be on home ice either. After finishing third in the Atlantic Division in the regular season, Florida has started all four of its playoff series on the road. The Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in five games in the opening round, going 3-0 on the road and 1-1 at home. They beat the Toronto Maple Leafs in seven games in the second round, going 2-2 on the road and 2-1 at home. And they beat the Carolina Hurricanes in five games in the Eastern Conference final, going 3-0 on the road and 1-1 at home. Add in the 1-1 start on the road in the Stanley Cup Final, and that's a 9-3 record in road games this postseason for the Panthers compared to a 4-3 mark at home. 'We have no choice,' star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk said of playing well on the road. 'We were going to be on the road for the whole [postseason]. I think every team we were going to play this year in playoffs, especially after the first round, we knew we were going to be on the road for the rest of it. We forced ourselves [into] it. We made our bed and had to sleep in it and now we've got to start on the road, take one game and get home ice back. It's that easy.' The Panthers' simple, direct game — be physical, grind out the opponent, let defense drive the offense — plays regardless of the venue. Florida's depth allows it to overcome the matchup battle that can impact road teams with the home team getting the last change before faceoffs. 'We feel comfortable on the road,' Tkachuk said. 'It's a simple game. It's a hard game. It's an adversity type of game, an adversity type of atmosphere. We've said it a bunch. It's that us against the world mindset, but you really feel it especially being down in a series. Your back's not necessarily against the wall, but you treat it as a big-time must win in a hostile environment, and I feel like that's when we're at our best. So, hopefully we can use that to our advantage.' Added Panthers coach Paul Maurice 'The [home-ice] advantage is marginal. It's fair. It's marginal. A lot of it happens probably just on running your bench in terms of minutes that you put on people when you're on the road and you get a D zone draw, especially when you have the players at the top end like Edmonton has. You run your top end of your bench harder than you will at home. So, you get a little bit of a reprieve there with understanding who's coming out first off whistles.' That said, getting some time at home is definitely a luxury the Panthers aren't taking for granted. 'It's never bad being in your own bed, have a nice home cooked meal,' forward Sam Reinhart said. 'I mean, once the puck drops, you might use the crowd a little bit, you might have that little extra energy. But at this time, it's the two best teams that are left standing. Once that puck drops it's going to be a real battle regardless.' And this series has definitely been a battle. Two overtime thrillers between two evenly matched teams have set the stage for an intriguing Stanley Cup Final so far. And neither team is expecting any letup as the series continues. 'The games speak for themselves,' forward Brad Marchand said. 'It's been a battle. Very intense and a lot of fun to be a part of.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Major shake-up on Oilers defence, and ace forward missing from practice
This in from Bob Stauffer of the Oilers, news that Ryan Nugent-Hopkins wasn't on the ice for Sunday's practice, with Jeff Skinner filling in on the top line for him. The Oilers have also taken the blender to their d-man pairings and mixed them up from Game 2. The EdmontonOilers practice: J. Skinner-McDavid-Perry Kane-Draisaitl-Kapanen Frederic-Henrique-Brown Podkolzin-Janmark-Arvidsson Nurse-Bouchard Kulak-Walman Ekholm-Klingberg Skinner Pickard (RNH not on ice) 1. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins didn't miss a shift in all five periods of Game 2, but my Cult colleague Kurt Leavins noted that in the final part of the game Evander Kane took faceoffs on RNH's line. Does that indicate some kind of arm, hand or wrist injury for RNH? RNH has 18 points in 18 playoff games and has played much stronger two-way hockey at even strength than in his two previous playoff seasons. 2. The Oilers have switched up their d-man pairings but not in a way that makes a ton of obvious good sense. While Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse had good results in their short time together in the regular season (10 goals for, six against), they were something of a tire fire in early games against Los Angeles. They were on the ice for five goals for, ten against. The Oilers only found their defensive mojo when Bouchard and Nurse were split up, Bouchard playing with Brett Kulak (seven goals for, one against) Nurse with Troy Stecher (two goals for, none against). 3. That said a change here was essential. Nurse was struggling to make plays paired up with Brett Kulak. Too many icings and too many turnovers from Nurse. Perhaps the idea here is that Bouchard has now hit his full playoff stride and has reached the highest, most elite level when it comes to puck-moving so he can do the heavy-lifting in that regard when he's on-ice with Nurse. 4. I don't mind the other two pairings at all, though I note that if the Oilers stick with these pairings they will be going with three pairings that have rarely taken the ice together. 5. Ekholm and Klingberg have played together just eight minutes in the playoffs and just 17 minutes in the regular season, when they were zero goals for, two against. Walman and Kulak played just 12 minutes together at even strength in the regular season and just 17 minutes in the playoffs. I would have preferred to see Nurse go with Walman, keeping Ekholm and Bouchard together, and Kulak with Klingberg. But I'm glad the Oilers have responded and are moving away from the struggling Nurse-Kulak pairing. They've got to try to do something to get Nurse flying high again, as he was when paired with Troy Stecher. 6. If RNH is out, and has to play hurt, that's a huge blow but I'm also a fan of Jeff Skinner. He can make plays and his defensive game has improved.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
South Florida pro sports teams are inspired by the success of the Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers' general manager Bill Zito, left, and head coach Paul Maurice speak to media during a news conference, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta, ahead of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup final series against the Edmonton Oilers. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) Florida Panthers' Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period in Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, June 6, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) Florida Panthers' Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period in Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, June 6, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) Florida Panthers' general manager Bill Zito, left, and head coach Paul Maurice speak to media during a news conference, Tuesday, June 3, 2025, in Edmonton, Alberta, ahead of Game 1 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup final series against the Edmonton Oilers. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) Florida Panthers' Brad Marchand (63) celebrates his goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period in Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Finals, in Edmonton, Alberta, Friday, June 6, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Jaylen Waddle considers himself the Florida Panthers' good luck charm. The Miami Dolphins wide receiver has been to several Panthers hockey games over the years. He banged the drum before a postseason matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning last season. He cheered on coach Paul Maurice's team after a thrilling overtime win over Tampa Bay this year. Advertisement By Waddle's estimation, whenever he's in the building, that equals a win for his favorite hockey team. 'I'm going to go to the finals,' Waddle quipped after a practice last week. "I think they need to invite me sometime soon in an important game, because I think they're pretty undefeated when I'm there. "Panthers – Hey, I'll be waiting.' The Panthers are in the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year. They're three wins away from defending their 2024 title. The Panthers went from winning just 25 playoff games in their first 28 seasons combined to winning more than 40 — and counting — in the past three seasons. And their general manager, Bill Zito, has been in conversations for GM of the Year for several seasons after building title-contending rosters year after year. Advertisement They're the pinnacle of success in South Florida, and other pro sports teams in the region have taken notice. Many are inspired by what the Panthers have built and use it as a blueprint for success. 'I think the Florida Panthers as an organization have done an unbelievable job of creating a sense of, 'We've been here before,' or a certain level of expectancy of performance,' Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. 'All of those things, you can never have too many friendly reminders of what you're fighting for. There's nothing more motivating than watching people that really sacrifice hard earned monthly income to support athletic performance. You can feel it." The Dolphins were once that team for South Florida. Nearly 53 years ago, a fiery coach named Don Shula guided Miami to the NFL's only perfect season. Reminders of that dominant Dolphins era are still plastered throughout South Florida. But it's been a while since Miami has been such a powerhouse. The Dolphins went to the playoffs in each McDaniel's first two seasons in Miami. They missed them last year and have not won a postseason game since 2000 — the longest such streak in the NFL. Advertisement Waddle and other Dolphins players, including standout defensive tackle Zach Sieler and linebacker Bradley Chubb have been to Panthers games recently. For them, watching a run like the Panthers' is just the motivation they need. 'They definitely bring an urge to the city,' Waddle said. 'Every professional sport in the city, it's just like they're pretty much the standard with all that they've accomplished over the past years. It's definitely like a fire under us to try to match them.' Before the Miami Marlins got ready for a midweek game against the San Francisco Giants last month, manager Clayton McCullough donned a bright red Florida Panthers hat. The first-year Marlins manager doesn't necessarily consider himself a huge hockey follower. He's only able to catch scores here and there. Advertisement 'But I'm a fan now of our local Panthers team,' McCullough said. "I hope they can repeat as Stanley Cup champions." McCullough has been tasked with being a centerpiece of the Marlins' latest rebuild. Miami went 62-100 last season, dropping at least 100 games for the second time in six seasons. He knows what success looks like after winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers as their first base coach last season. He said it's good for the entire city when one team is winning titles. "We're all part of a fabric here in the community," McCullough said. "When one team is doing well, it's great for the entire area, for South Florida, for them to be doing so well. And we hope too that we're making deep runs in September and October in the years to come. Advertisement "The fanbase, they get galvanized by that, and we'd love to support all of our pro teams here that are successful.' Maurice and the Panthers players feel the support, and they have no problem sharing their triumphs. 'There's room for all of us down here. There's certainly enough people,' Maurice said. 'I think it's a great thing that you have sports that are foundational: football, basketball, baseball. And then the new sport, hockey. And there's room for everybody there. So how about we just share it? Share the spotlight, share all of it. ... There's room for everybody here. We're happy to be a part of it.' ___ AP NHL playoffs: and
