The Edmonton Oilers secured a Game 1 victory in their Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. Connor McDavid emerged as the hero, scoring off a deflection from an Evan Bouchard pass just seconds into the second overtime. This was McDavid’s redemption after being denied by Jake Oettinger on a clear shot in the first overtime.
The Oilers took the lead early, with Leon Draisaitl capitalizing on a fortunate bounce from Brett Kulak’s shot. They extended their lead to 2-0 in the second period during a two-on-one rush by McDavid and Zach Hyman. Hyman’s slowed shot, due to a defender’s stick, tricked Oettinger.
Dallas fought back with Tyler Seguin scoring twice to tie the game, the first from a Kulak turnover and the second in the late third period off a deflection from Darnell Nurse’s skate.
GAME WON 😤
The #Oilers defeat the Stars 3-2 in double overtime in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final. #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/j9QPlIjb33
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 24, 2024
The game extended into double overtime after a scoreless first extra frame. McDavid was penalized for high-sticking early in the first overtime, a situation he described as “miserable” but praised his teammates for their penalty-killing efforts. Despite a missed opportunity later in the first overtime, McDavid redeemed himself in the second overtime with a goal following a strong forecheck by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and a perfect pass from Bouchard.
Key takeaways for the Oilers included the exceptional performance of their depth players on the penalty kill, successfully nullifying a double-minor in overtime and going 5 for 5 overall. Goalie Stuart Skinner was also outstanding, making 31 saves. Although Edmonton started slow, they improved significantly in the second and third periods, with penalty troubles being their main issue early on.