For the second consecutive season, the Edmonton Oilers are advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals, and Connor McDavid said he and his team feel more comfortable in these big moments than ever.
While lesser teams may have been shaken or even potentially folded after a disastrous third period like the one Edmonton experienced in Game 1 — after trailing 3-1 entering the third, Dallas scored five unanswered goals to win 6-3 — the Oilers buckled down and went back to work.
Thursday evening, the Oilers wrapped up a convincing 4-1 series win over the Dallas Stars, outpacing Dallas 6-3 on the road. This was the fourth consecutive win for Edmonton, which, after losing Game 1, proceeded to outscore the Stars 19-5 the rest of the way.
The reason they are able to do something like that may be because the Oilers are unusually comfortable in these high-leverage, high-pressure series.
“We’ve prepared to be in this position for a long time. These are more normal positions for us now,” McDavid said, via The Atheltic's Daniel Nugent-Bowman. “The moment doesn’t feel big. It doesn’t feel anything other than a hockey game.
“That allows you to make your play.”
Article Continues BelowMcDavid and the Oilers certainly made their plays. The reigning Conne Smythe Trophy winner had 3 goals and 6 assists in the five-game series vs. Dallas. He was one of three Oilers to record 9 points in the series; Leon Draisaitl and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins each had 2 goals and 7 assists.
In the net has been Stuart Skinner, who has largely recovered following a horrific start to the postseason. In his first three starts of the playoffs (all losses), Skinner allowed 15 goals and had a save percentage of 81.7%. Since then, however, Skinner has surrendered just 10 goals over seven games, earning a 6-1 record and a 94.4% save percentage. Three of those games were also shutouts, including Game 2 vs. the Stars.
The Oilers will need Skinner to be just as good as he has been — if not better — if they want to change their fortunes from last year's Stanley Cup Finals. A year ago, the Oilers lost in a heartbreaking Game 7 to the Florida Panthers, and this time, the Oilers and Panthers collide once again.
Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals is set for Wednesday, June 4, in Edmonton.