The Oilers snatched momentum after falling behind in Game 4. Now it's up to Dallas to take it back at home Friday.
It's a fickle thing, momentum. One minute, a team is clicking on all cylinders, only to see the other make a big play or capitalize on a mistake and take it right back.
That's how it is in the playoffs, and that's how it's been through this Western Conference Finals between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers.
The Stars experienced such a swing in Game 4 Wednesday, falling 5-2 on the road to Edmonton, who kept from getting into a 3-1 series hole as the teams head back to Dallas for Game 5.
"It's obviously so important once you're playing well to keep it going and not let your foot off the pedal at all," Stars forward Wyatt Johnston said following the loss. "When you're playing great teams like Edmonton, they're gonna make you pay for it and come back on you."
The good news for Dallas is they have a chance to regain the advantage Friday at American Airlines Center. To do that, they'll need to find a way to stem the tide of constant momentum swings that have dominated the entire NHL post-season.
In three of the four games of the WCF, both teams have coughed up two-goal leads. During these playoffs, there have been 39 comeback wins, third-most at this stage of the post-season in NHL history.
The trend is no surprise to Stars head coach Pete DeBoer.
"Everyone talks about how do you control losing leads or coming back in games," DeBoer said Thursday. "You've got two of the highest-scoring teams in the league. Neither team needs a lot of room to score, or a lot of opportunities. You're gonna have some of those lead changes in a series like this."
Stopping the Surges
The Stars got two quick goals in the first six minutes of Game 4 and had the first four shots on goal before Edmonton got their first.
The trick of quick starts is keeping that same intensity throughout an entire game, and the Stars were unable to accomplish that. They grabbed a 2-0 lead, only to see the Oilers answer back with a vengeance. They had 12 of the next 13 shots on goal and the first period ended the way it started: dead even.
Dallas was unable to grab back the advantage they had lost. The Oilers broke the tie late in the second period with two quick goals in the span of 51 seconds, one of them shorthanded. Edmonton ended up with a 29-18 shots-on-goal advantage, and dominated the physical side of the game with 47 hits to the Stars' 24.
"They're not just going to hand it to us," Stars captain Jamie Benn said after Game 4. "I thought our start was obviously better than last game, but they made a strong push and we'll move on here and get ready for the next one."
Power Play Struggles Continue
Special teams hadn't been much of a factor in this series until Game 4. The Stars gave up a shorthanded goal to Mattias Janmark late in the second period, which proved to be the game-winner. Dallas went 0-for-2 on the power play, and haven't scored in nine chances during the series.
Edmonton's penalty-kill, meanwhile, has been otherworldly, both in this series and throughout the postseason. The Oilers have killed off 23 straight penalties and lead the NHL with a 93.2 percentage during these playoffs.
The Stars are 22.5 on the power play, eighth-best in the league, and 75.0% on the penalty kill, also eighth. Janmark's shorthanded goal was the second allowed by the Stars this post-season, ranking them 12th in that category.
"The power play was a symptom of the rest of our game," DeBoer said. "The rest of the game, (the Oilers) were the better team. That's the bottom line."
Back In Familiar Territory
The Stars are no strangers to responding when a series is on the line. They rallied from a 2-0 deficit against the Vegas Golden Knights to win their first-round series in seven games. They rebounded after losing Game 1 of the second-round series with the Colorado Avalanche, then put the series away after Colorado cut the series deficit to 3-2. After dropping Game 1 to the Oilers, Dallas responded by going up 2-1.
Now, it's a best-of-three, with a pivotal Game 5 at home. In NHL history, 78.8% of teams who go up 3-2 have won the series. The Stars would like nothing better than to head back to Edmonton with a chance to close out and advance to the Stanley Cup Final.
To do that, they'll have to contend with that ever-elusive momentum.
"There are two good teams playing," forward Joe Pavelski said. "No one's gonna lay down. It's the time of the year it is, you've got teams that can make plays both ways, and it just shows how fine of a line it is."
Tanev's Injury Status Still Uncertain
Defenseman Chris Tanev left in the second period of Game 4 after blocking an Evander Kane shot off his right foot. He was seen wearing a boot in the airport as the team headed back to Dallas, but DeBoer said Friday morning Tanev's availability will be a game-time decision.
"I'm optimistic," DeBoer said Friday when asked about the possibility of Tanev playing.
Puck drop for Game 5 is set for 7:30 Pm CT and the game will be televised on TNT.