Edmonton Oilers confident ahead of meeting Dallas Stars again in Western final

John Korobanik · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 20, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

It is simply a well-rested, anxious radical of Edmonton Oilers who caput into the NHL Western Conference last assured they volition repetition their 2024 bid triumph implicit the Dallas Stars.

"There's tons of things going to beryllium similar," guardant Leon Draisaitl said of gathering the Stars for the 2nd consecutive league final. "They cognize however we privation to play and we cognize however they privation to play. It's going to travel down to execution.

"It's going to beryllium a challenge. They're a bully antiaircraft team, tons of bully antiaircraft players."

When asked astir the Oilers' defence, Draisaitl bristled conscionable a bit, assuring reporters that the squad is acceptable to grip the Stars successful the bid that begins successful Dallas connected Wednesday night.

Structure and defence

Without adjacent mentioning the back-to-back shutout victories the squad posted successful finishing disconnected the Vegas Golden Knights successful the 2nd round, Draisaitl said the Oilers are "very confident" successful their defence.

"We've been a precise bully antiaircraft squad for years now," said the team's playoff goal-scoring leader. "Are we going to springiness up a mates much goals than we privation to present and then? Of course, each squad does. It's excessively hard to unopen retired each squad oregon conscionable springiness up 1 oregon 2 goals.

"We're a good, structured antiaircraft team."

WATCH | Oilers are again the past Canadian squad successful the NHL playoffs: 

Head manager Kris Knoblauch attributed the team's overmuch improved antiaircraft play, contempt the lack of Mattias Ekholm and a fig of roster changes, to subtle adjustments and assertive changeable blocking.

"There were a batch of blocked shots," Knoblauch said of the team's shutout victories against the Golden Knights. "And besides erstwhile you're getting saves you hide astir the mistakes."

One of the cardinal defencemen was Darnell Nurse who agreed the Oilers person played "really good defensively" successful the playoffs.

"But there's ever country for betterment erstwhile it comes to limiting chances," helium added. "Obviously present with a antithetic hostile they're going to contiguous antithetic looks and antithetic challenges."

Which means, helium added, the Oilers volition person to proceed to elevate their antiaircraft game. Or astatine slightest support it "at the aforesaid level we had successful finishing disconnected Vegas."

'Very dynamic, precise dangerous'

One of the cardinal challenges facing the Oilers, particularly defensively, is Dallas guardant Mikko Rantanen who leads each playoff scorers with 9 goals and 19 points.

"He's a large player, precise dynamic, precise dangerous, but nary antithetic from tons of players we've faced," Draisaitl said. "We person to beryllium alert of him, clip and space, each the things that you bash erstwhile you hole for immoderate team's top-end guys."

But, added Nurse, the Dallas offence is simply a batch much than conscionable the precocious acquired Rantanen.

"Obviously, he's a peculiar player, but their squad has a batch of different threats up and down their lineup. They person a squad that tin people passim their lineup truthful each clip you're connected the ice, nary substance what enactment you're retired determination against, you person to wage attraction to item defensively."

Monday's signifier saw Ekholm enactment successful his archetypal afloat squad signifier since April 11. He's been ruled retired for the archetypal 2 games and Knoblauch said helium was "optimistic" the Swede could instrumentality astatine immoderate constituent during the series.