Relive the night Robertson’s offensive explosion silenced Edmonton, showcasing a deep Dallas roster that dismantled champions and pushed the franchise to the brink of a Stanley Cup return.
Two years ago tonight, Jason Robertson put on a performance for the ages.
With his team facing a pivotal road game in Edmonton, Robertson completed his first-career playoff hat trick midway through the third period, lifting the Dallas Stars to a 5-3 victory over the Oilers and a 2-1 series lead in the Western Conference Final.
The supporting cast was equally impressive with captain Jamie Benn, veteran center Roope Hintz, and former Cup champion Tyler Seguin each contributing a pair of assists, a fitting reminder of just how deep this Stars offense was capable of being.
Behind them, Jake Oettinger was composed and reliable in net, turning away the Oilers' best pushes and keeping Dallas firmly in control. It was the kind of complete team performance that had Stars fans daring to dream of a Stanley Cup Final berth for the first time since the franchise's memorable run through the 2020 bubble.
Dallas entered the 2024 playoffs as the top seed in the Western Conference with a 52-21-9 record, but their first-round matchup carried significant emotional weight.
Waiting for them were the defending champion Vegas Golden Knights, the same team that had ended their season in the conference finals just a year before. The Stars wanted revenge, and they got it, fighting back from an early deficit in the series to win Game 7 in Dallas, sending Vegas home and ending their title defense.
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The second round brought the Colorado Avalanche, and Dallas dispatched them in six games, closing it out with a dramatic 2-1 double-overtime win in Game 6. It marked the Stars' third Western Conference Final appearance in five seasons, a sustained run of excellence that had quietly made them one of the league's elite programs.
Then came Edmonton, and Robertson's hat trick had everything pointing Dallas's way. But the Oilers had other plans. After dropping two of the first three games, Edmonton locked down defensively in a way few expected, holding the Stars to just four goals over the final three games of the series. The offense that had looked unstoppable went silent at the worst possible time, and the Oilers closed out the series in six.
It was a gut-punch ending for a team with genuine Stanley Cup aspirations. Looking back, the 2024 conference finals run may represent the Stars' best shot at returning to the mountaintop since their 2020 Finals appearance. When they went back to the Western Conference Final in 2025, the Oilers were waiting again and dispatched Dallas in five games without much resistance.
For a franchise searching for its next championship moment, nights like Robertson's hat trick are both a source of pride and a reminder of how close they've been and how far there still is to go.
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