The Dallas Stars evened the NHL’s Western Conference Final Saturday night with a 3-1 home ice win over the Edmonton Oilers.
The Stars scored on their first shot on goal when Jamie Benn fired a low shot past Stuart Skinner on a two-on-one. The Oilers came back 44 seconds later with Connor Brown tucking a rebound between the legs of Jake Oettinger for his first of the playoffs. The Oilers outshot the Stars 16-4 in the first and forced Oettinger to make a couple of sensational saves.
Dallas applied a lot of pressure early in the second. Wyatt Johnston clanged a backhand off the crossbar. Skinner made a tricky save off a close range chance by Evgenii Dadonov. The Oilers killed off a Stars power play, giving them 20 straight successful penalty kills.
Mason Marchment deftly deflected Ryan Suter’s point shot to put the Stars ahead 2-1 with 16:19 left in the third. Esa Lindell added an empty netter.
The Oilers were held to five shots on goal in the third. Oettinger earned the win with 28 saves. Skinner stopped 22 of 24 shots.
Leon Draisaitl was held without a point for the first time in the playoffs.
Game three is Monday in Edmonton (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 4:30 p.m., game at 6:30 p.m.).