Oettinger pulled as Oilers lead Stars after one period
Published
The Edmonton Oilers stunned the Dallas Stars in the first period, jumping out to a 3-1 lead and chasing Jake Oettinger from the Dallas net.
Corey Perry, Mattias Janmark and Jeff Skinner each scored within the first nine minutes of the game, and Oettinger was pulled after allowing the first two goals on the first two shots he faced.
Casey DeSmith saw his first action in the playoffs since Dallas' 4-0 loss in Game 4 against the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, where he played the final period of that game.
DeSmith allowed Skinner's goal on the second shot he saw.
Jason Robertson scored for the Stars, his third of the playoffs.
Stuart Skinner turned away six of the seven shots he faced, while the Oilers finished the period with three goals on nine shots on goal.
A nightmare start for the home team took a step in the right direction when Robertson collected a pass off of a turnover in a dangerous spot and beat Skinner on the glove side.
That goal cut the Oilers' lead to two, but, perhaps more importantly, seemed to give the Dallas side a bit of momentum after a deflating start.
Dallas' situation went from bad to worse at the 7:09 mark - Janmark scored his third goal for Edmonton in the midst of a defensive breakdown, as a Viktor Arvidsson pass found him all alone in front of the Dallas net.
Dallas called a timeout after the goal, and after a discussion on the bench, when the players left to take their positions for the faceoff at centre ice - head coach Pete DeBoer called Oettinger back to the bench.
The Stars pulled their top goaltender not even halfway through the first period.
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.
The Oilers got an early start to the scoring, with Perry firing a shot home on the power play off of a strong set up from Connor 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.
Dallas has struggled with penalties at inopportune times in this series, with Mavrik Bourque's high-sticking penalty at 1:47 proving costly.
Edmonton advances for a rematch in the Stanley Cup Final against the Florida Panthers with a win, while the Stars try to keep their season alive trailing 3-1 in the seven-game set.