Much the same even with some new names as Oilers and Stars meet again in West final

Stephen Hawkins · The Associated Press

· Posted: May 21, 2025 1:27 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 hours ago

Much is inactive the same, adjacent though a batch of names person changed for the Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers, gathering successful the Western Conference last for the 2nd twelvemonth successful a row.

Coaches Pete DeBoer and Kris Knoblauch are inactive successful charge, truthful the structures are beauteous overmuch unchanged for some teams.

Edmonton inactive has 100-point teammates Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, portion Dallas has its halfway of young scorers similar Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston and Jason Robertson on with veterans Tyler Seguin and skipper Jamie Benn.

"There's a fewer antithetic players playing the bid obviously. But successful a batch of ways, it's precise similar," McDavid said Tuesday.

"Same coach, aforesaid systems. ... We haven't changed much, they haven't changed much."

The aforesaid 26-year-old goalies volition beryllium successful nett erstwhile the bid starts Wednesday nighttime — Jake Oettinger for the Stars successful their 3rd consecutive West final, and Stuart Skinner for the Oilers, though helium had mislaid his starting occupation successful these NHL playoffs.

"There's tons of things going to beryllium similar," Draisaitl said. "They cognize however we privation to play, and we cognize however they privation to play."

WATCH | 'I emotion the bandwagon fans!' says Edmonton Oilers superfan: 

Still, some the Stars and Oilers had 7 players who appeared successful past year's bid — won by Edmonton successful six games — that are nary longer connected those teams.

The biggest alteration is midseason commercialized acquisitions Mikko Rantanen and Mikael Granlund present connected the Stars' apical enactment with chap Finnish subordinate Hintz.

Rantanen is the starring scorer successful these NHL playoffs with 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists).

He is conscionable up of McDavid with 17 points (three goals, 14 assists) and Draisaitl with 16 (five goals, 11 assists), who aren't unsocial successful scoring present for the Oilers.

They are successful their 3rd West last successful 4 seasons aft losing past year's Stanley Cup successful 7 games to Florida.

"They've got the two-headed monster, but conscionable the extent similar they brought in, [Trent] Frederic, [Corey] Perry, each those guys," Oettinger said.

"They're archetypal successful the league successful odd-man rushes, but present they're besides similar getting to the net, getting postulation to the net. They're not conscionable benignant of run-and-gun, which you need, the all-around game. From my perspective, I deliberation conscionable going to person to expect it all."

Defenceman Cody Ceci, different subordinate the Stars got successful a midseason commercialized from San Jose, was with the Oilers the past 3 seasons.

Veteran defenceman John Klingberg has played 10 playoff games aft conscionable 11 regular-season games with the Oilers, his 4th squad since opening his NHL vocation with the Stars from 2015-22.

WATCH | How overmuch does it outgo to leap connected the Oilers bandwagon? 

Playoff scorers

With McDavid, Draisaitl and Rantanen, this bid has 3 of the apical scorers successful NHL playoff history.

McDavid is 3rd connected that database astatine 1.58 points per crippled (40 goals, 94 assists successful 85 games), with Draisaitl 5th astatine 1.46 (46, 78 successful 85 games). Rantanen, successful his archetypal postseason with Dallas aft the past 7 with Colorado, ranks seventh astatine 1.28 (43, 77 successful 120 games).

The all-time person is Wayne Gretzky averaging 1.84 points successful his 208 playoff games. He won 4 Stanley Cup titles successful a five-season agelong with the Oilers successful the 1980s, and this past play was successful the Stars locker country aft they won successful the 2nd round.

Between the pipes

Oettinger is already successful his 4th consecutive postseason and has won six postseason series. Now helium wants his Stanley Cup shot.

"I consciousness similar helium is dialed in. I consciousness similar he's connected a spot of a ngo here," DeBoer said.

"I deliberation coming up abbreviated 2 years successful a row, oregon getting that acold and past not breaking done ... he's going to bash everything helium tin to effort to get america there."

Oettinger has a .919 prevention percent and 2.47 goals-against average.

WATCH | What is the champion mentation of the Oilers jersey? 

Skinner, the Oilers regular-season starter, was replaced aft they fell down 2-0 successful the archetypal round. They won six successful a enactment with Stuart Skinner starting earlier helium sustained an evident near limb wounded successful Game 2 against Vegas successful the 2nd round.

After a nonaccomplishment successful Game 3, Skinner posted consecutive shutouts, including the series-clinching 1-0 overtime triumph successful Game 5.

Special teams

Dallas went 0 for 14 connected the powerfulness play successful the bid successful past year's West final. The Oilers added 2 short-handed goals successful the series, which they clinched with 2 power-play goals successful Game 6.

The Stars person been bully connected peculiar teams this postseason, ranking 3rd among playoff teams some for converting powerfulness plays (30.8 per cent). Their powerfulness play is the champion among immoderate teams that played much than 1 round, and the teams amended connected PKs are Eastern Conference finalists Carolina and Florida.

Edmonton is astatine 25 per cent connected powerfulness plays and 66.7 per cent on kills this postseason.