The Edmonton Oilers appeared poised to seize control of the Western Conference Final, leading the Dallas Stars 3 to 1 after two periods in Game 1. However, a disastrous third period saw the Stars net five unanswered goals, culminating in a 6 to 3 defeat for the Oilers at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night.

Head coach Kris Knoblauch didn’t hold back after the stunning turnaround. “You always think you've figured it out, and then you get humbled in a hurry,” he said, summarizing the gut-punch loss with brutal honesty.

Edmonton had been in rhythm through the first 40 minutes. Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring with a signature finish, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins added a power-play goal, and Evan Bouchard’s blast from the blue line gave the Oilers what seemed like a comfortable edge. The Stars looked rattled. The crowd was restless. Then everything fell apart.

Miro Heiskanen sparked the comeback just 32 seconds into the third period. From there, the Oilers unraveled. With penalties piled up, and Dallas took full advantage.

Mikael Granlund and Matt Duchene both scored with the man advantage in a span of five minutes. Roope Hintz added to the tally, and by the time Sam Steel notched the sixth, the arena was in a frenzy and the Oilers were stunned.

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The penalty kill, usually a reliable unit, crumbled under pressure. Edmonton gave Dallas three power-play goals in just over five minutes. Knoblauch noted the impact of those crucial minutes, saying, “We were short-handed for about six minutes in the third period, and that makes it a little more difficult to come back.”

Goaltender Stuart Skinner, returning to the crease after Calvin Pickard’s recent run, managed 22 saves on 27 shots. He had little help in front as the defense lost its structure during the Stars' surge.

Despite the collapse, the Oilers have shown they can recover from playoff setbacks. “We’ve had some heartbreaking losses in the playoffs, and we’ve been able to rebound nicely,” Knoblauch said.

Game 2 will be the first real test of their resolve. After being humbled in Game 1, the Oilers now face the challenge of proving they’re still in control of the series.