Oilers lead Stars by two goals after two periods in Game 5
Published
Connor McDavid scored on a dazzling move to restore the multi-goal lead for the Edmonton Oilers, who are beating the Dallas Stars 4-2 after two periods in Game 5 of the Western Conference final.
Roope Hintz scored on the power play for Dallas as the sides traded a goal apiece in the second frame.
Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner stopped five of six shots in the frame, while Casey DeSmith saved eight of nine for the Stars.
Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark and Jeff Skinner scored in the first period for the Oilers, while Jason Robertson added a goal for the Stars in the opening frame.
With Dallas seemingly gaining an edge, Edmonton turned to their superstar for an answer: McDavid collected a loose puck in the neutral zone and burst down the ice, then dangled for a beautiful goal to beat DeSmith and give Edmonton a 4-2 lead.
Neither side generated much offence through the midway point of the second period, with only a combined seven shots on net between the teams in the first 12 minutes of the second period.
Dallas got their second try on the power play at the 11:05 mark when Ekholm took an interference penalty, and Hintz capped off a tic-tac-toe passing sequence with a goal over the glove of Skinner.
Hintz' goal, his sixth of the playoffs, cut Edmonton's lead to 3-2 at the 12:27 point.
Dallas, in desperate need of a spark, earned their first power play early in the second frame when Brett Kulak was whistled for hooking.
The team failed to muster a single shot on net with the man advantage, as Edmonton stayed in firm control of the action.
Robertson collected a pass off of a turnover in a dangerous spot to beat Skinner and cut the Oilers' lead to two goals late in the first period.
Janmark scored his third goal of the playoffs for Edmonton in the midst of a defensive breakdown at the 7:09 mark of the opening frame.
Dallas called a timeout after the goal, and after a discussion on the bench, when the players went to skate onto the ice - head coach Pete DeBoer called Oettinger back to the bench.
DeSmith allowed a goal in relief on the second shot he faced, when Skinner this time found space in the Dallas crease - making it a 3-0 lead for the Oilers just 8:07 into the first period.
Perry opened the scoring for Edmonton on the power play off of a strong set up from McDavid - his 20th assist of the playoffs.
It marked the seventh consecutive game, dating back to the second round, that the Stars have allowed the opening goal in a game.
Edmonton advances for a rematch in the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers with a win in this game, while the Stars try to keep their season alive trailing 3-1 in the seven-game set.