The Dallas Stars fell to the Oilers 3-1 Friday night, making the series 3-2 in favor of Edmonton.
A pair of power play goals was the difference as the Edmonton Oilers moved to within a game of advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, while the Dallas Stars are one road loss away from being knocked out in six games in back-to-back Western Conference Finals.
After splitting both games at home and on the road, the Stars came back to Dallas for Game 5 tied in the series, 2-2. In the opening round series against Vegas, the Stars had won Game 5 to give them a cushion going on the road for Game 6, which was ultimately needed as Dallas lost on the road but got the job done at home in the all-deciding Game 7. In the Colorado series, the Stars already had a 3-1 series lead but lost Game 5 at home, but their lead still allowed them to close it out in Denver in Game 6.
Though they were hopeful of retaking the lead in this series, nerves were unsettled as everyone from coaching staff to fans waited to hear if standout defenseman Chris Tanev would participate in the game. Tanev left Game 4 after blocking a shot and did not return, and to make matters worse, he was pictured in a walking boot in the airport the next morning.
During morning skate, Lian Bichsel left the ice early with the players who were playing in the game and during the pre-game press conference, head coach Pete DeBoer announced that Tanev would be a game-time decision. When it came time for warm-ups, a sigh of relief could be felt around Dallas when the 34 year old skated out of the tunnel. This news should have meant that the Stars would come out on the top of their game, as Tanev is a pillar for Dallas to help contain one of the NHL's best duos that include Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
Both teams seemed evenly matched at first, but around the six minute mark in the first frame, Ryan Suter took an unnecessary roughing penalty against McDavid. Veteran referee Kelly Sutherland emphatically motioned that it was due to Suter's second cross-check on McDavid while he was close to the boards. As a veteran, Suter should be avoiding making these types of mistakes against the deadliest power-play in the playoffs, but it continued a trend of Suter being the most penalized player for the Stars this postseason.
Edmonton was not going to miss the opportunity to make the Stars pay, and made quick work of taking the lead. A rebound fell right in front of Ryan Nugent-Hopkins who shot it through Ty Dellandrea and past Jake Oettinger. That seemed to zap any sort of energy from the Stars, and Dallas ended the first period with four shots on goal. Outside of the power play, Edmonton didn't really threaten too much after that, but the Stars still found themselves behind in a critical game.
Second periods have been really good to Dallas this year, but even with the added importance of the situation, it seemed as though the Stars presumed "pep in their step" was left behind with Tanev's walking boot. The Stars came out lethargic, slow and appeared to not be ready to play, which is something that seems to be a trend in several games this series.
A delay of game penalty by Miro Heiskanen, called after a long huddle-up by the officials, resulted in the second power play of the night for Edmonton. Nugent-Hopkins scored his second power play goal of the game to make it 2-0 just over a minute into the second period, and the Stars couldn't find an answer.
Only four minutes later, Phillip Broberg, who was inserted into the lineup in Game 4 for Vincent Desharnais, scored his first ever Stanley Cup Playoff goal to make it 3-0 and stun the home crowd silent.
At this point, the Stars were in a massive hole and it would take a near perfect game to claw back to even force as much as overtime. But at the halfway mark of the game, Dallas only had six shots on goal. By the end of the second period, it wasn't much better, and Dallas simply could not generate anything on Stuart Skinner. A push on the power play felt too little too late at the end of the second, and suddenly the Stars only had one period left to figure things out, or face an elimination game in Edmonton Sunday.
The third period was well defended by Edmonton, and the few chances that Dallas generated were turned away by Skinner. Wyatt Johnston extended his team lead in goals this postseason with just over five minutes left to play in regulation, but Dallas couldn't get any closer than 3-1.
Now, with everyone doubting them, the Stars must go in front of a rabid crowd north of the border, where fans have been waiting for a couple decades for a return to a Stanley Cup Final. Canada has been waiting since 1993 for a champion outside of the United States, and the fervor will be at an all time high at Rogers Place Sunday.
The odds certainly seem stacked against them, but in 1999, the Stars were pushed to a 3-2 elimination game in the Western Conference Final against the Colorado Avalanche before winning the final two and eventually lifting the Stanley Cup.
No player wants to lose after getting this close, and it would feel like even more of a kick to the shins if the Stars were to lose in the same amount of games as last year's Western Conference Final where they were down 3-0. This year, Dallas had a series lead and were up 2-0 in a game that would have given them a 3-1 series advantage.
The stakes are as high as can be Sunday, and the best have to be the best for the Stars. If they can provide that, both teams will head back to Dallas for a winner-take-all game on Tuesday.
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