Oilers oust Stars to reach first NHL Stanley Cup Final since '06 / Photo: Codie McLachlan - GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP
Oilers oust Stars to reach first NHL Stanley Cup Final since '06
Connor McDavid scored one goal and set up another as the Edmonton Oilers reached the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006 by defeating Dallas 2-1 on Sunday in the NHL playoffs.
Edmonton captain McDavid, considered by many the NHL's top player, will play for his first crown after a series-clinching performance by the Oilers, with goaltender Stuart Skinner making 34 saves.
The Oilers won the best-of-seven Western Conference final 4-2 and will face the Florida Panthers in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final, which begins on Saturday.
No Canadian club has captured the NHL crown since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens.
Edmonton has not won the Stanley Cup since hoisting the trophy five times in seven seasons from 1984 to 1990. NHL legend Wayne Gretzky led the Oilers to four of those titles.
The Oilers have not reached the Stanley Cup Final since 2006, when they lost to Carolina in seven games.
Florida, which lost to Vegas in last year's Stanley Cup Final and to Colorado in the 1996 final, has never won an NHL crown.
Dallas outshot Edmonton 35-10 but couldn't outscore the hosts.
McDavid opened the scoring 4:17 into the game with a spectacular power play goal, skating around two defenders from the left side and flicking a backhand shot past Dallas goaltender Jake Oettinger for his fifth tally of the playoffs.
Zach Hyman netted his 14th goal of the playoffs on a power play goal with 4:18 remaining in the first period, taking a pass from McDavid and zipping a quick shot past Oettinger for a 2-0 Oilers edge.
Edmonton denied Dallas on two extra-man chances in the first period, staying on top despite a 12-3 Stars edge in shots over the first 20 minutes that grew to 21-8 after a scoreless second period.
Mason Marchment pulled Dallas within 2-1 with 10:42 remaining, tucking in the puck after a pass from Tyler Seguin from behind the goal, but the Stars never managed an equalizer, even after removing Oettinger for an extra attacker in the dying minutes.
McDavid has a playoffs-best 26 assists. The 27-year-old Canadian center was the top pick of the 2015 NHL Draft.
He's a three-time Hart Trophy winner as the NHL Most Valuable Player and led the league in the 2022-23 season with 64 goals and 89 assists. This past campaign he scored 32 goals and passed off an NHL-best 100 assists.
The Stars, who lost the 2020 Stanley Cup Final to Tampa Bay, were ousted by Vegas in last year's West final. Their only NHL crown came in 1999.
L.MacDonald--EWJ
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