The Dallas Stars and the Edmonton Oilers will begin the Western Conference Finals later tonight. It will be a fantastic series between two elite Western Conference programs fighting for a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals. At Blackout Dallas, we like to give predictions on the upcoming playoff series that the Stars are a part of. We've already done two this postseason and would like to do a fourth one shortly. Here are the Blackout Dallas Staff predictions for the upcoming series against the Edmonton Oilers.
Mahima Masih, Blackout Dallas Contributor: Stars in 7
Three consecutive trips to the Western Conference Finals. That’s an unbelievable sentence and not one to be taken lightly. These moments don’t come easy,—that’s and the team's longstanding veteran players know it. The Dallas Stars must unlock a new consistent drive level to get through this series.
There’s always an odd animosity in games against the Edmonton Oilers. Regardless, the Stars cannot take risky penalties (ahem, looking at you, Marchment and Benn). The Oilers have Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl to deploy at any given moment, and giving them the man advantage to do that is testing the limits.
Not to downplay the Stars’ stellar penalty kill and goaltending, but there’s no need to exhaust Dallas’ defensive capabilities with silly missteps.
When the Stars have played the Oilers recently, talk often centers around how Miro Heiskanen can flawlessly slow down McDavid. With Heiskanen coming back from a big injury and surgery, that would normally be a cause for alarm.
Enter Thomas Harley. The young defenseman keeps reaching new tiers of “clutch”. With Heiskanen slowly returning to form and Harley excelling rapidly, the Stars have a one-two punch to use in a way they haven’t before.
The Dallas Stars have proven their seven-game slump entering the postseason is something to be forgotten. They’ve rallied back from multiple shutouts, won without key players, and had their trade acquisitions blossom.
Nothing comes easy, and the Oilers are favored by much media chatter to win the series. But that’s precisely where the Stars thrive. They need to feel like the underdog to kick up the desperation and remind everyone they are one of the best teams in the league.
Stars in 7
George Delanjian, Blackout Dallas Contributor: Stars in 5
The Stars and Oilers will face off in a Western Conference Finals rematch. Last year, when these two teams met last year, the Oilers were down in the series 2-1 series before turning it up a gear and winning three straight games to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Stars had home ice last season against the Oilers, and do so again this season.
While it is nice to have, there is no guarantee of it coming at playoff time. The Oilers are playing some of their best hockey right now, which will be a challenge for the Stars, who are halfway through what many have called "Murderer's Row".
Having Miro Heiskanen back could not have come at a better time, given the defense's struggles at times this postseason. They have allowed at least four goals in every game they have lost, which is not sustainable for another two rounds as competition tightens up.
Heiskanen's counterpart, Thomas Harley, needs to continue his high level of play on both sides of the puck, especially going against Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and company. Aside from their star players, the Stars will need more contributions from their role players, who have given this team a significant boost when they desperately needed it.
If everyone can do their part and play a full 60 minutes of hockey each game, the Stars can get past the Oilers this year and advance to the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2020. They have a better and deeper team on both ends of the puck, which should translate into one of the easier series for the Stars this postseason. Having Heiskanen back and adding Mikko Rantanen should make things much easier. I have the Stars defeating the Oilers in 5 games.
Brian Sweet, Blackout Dallas Site Expert: Stars in 5
The Dallas Stars are out for revenge after losing to the Edmonton Oilers in the Western Conference Finals last year. The Stars felt they were so close to their goal, and Edmonton ended it while seeing light at the end of the tunnel. You could tell after the Stars were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season that a lot of them wanted a second chance to beat the Oilers in the playoffs. The Stars have their chance, and I don't see them screwing up their opportunity again.
The Stars added a powerhouse player at the trade deadline to bolster their offense for the playoffs. Mikko Rantanen single-handedly kept them in the playoffs with a fantastic performance in game 7 against the Colorado Avalanche. While that's great, he needs help from the remaining players who haven't contributed much offense in the postseason if they want to beat the Oilers. I think certain players will show up in this round to get the Stars to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Jason Robertson and Matt Duchene have been quiet so far in the playoffs. Robertson gets a break because of his injury, but now that he's healthy, he should be able to provide some offense against an Oilers team that could be tired coming into this round. The Los Angeles Kings wore them down in the first round of the playoffs, while the Vegas Golden Knights didn't stand much of a chance against them. The Oilers are one of the elite teams in the Pacific Division. They deserve to be in the Western Conference Finals.
I believe the Stars will get their revenge in six games against the Oilers this year. Some of the Stars veterans know their Stanley Cup Window is closing, and this might be their last shot at it with how stacked the talent is in the Western Conference. I don't know if Stuart Skinner will be able to save the onslaught of shots flying at him starting tonight. Rantanen will be the key to helping the Stars move on to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2020.