Overtime started with Connor McDavid on the bench of shame, and it ended with McDavid with his arms in the air, happy with his fate.
Finally, it was the Oilers’ star player who put an end to this long evening, with the winning goal in the second overtime period. Final score: Edmonton Oilers 3, Dallas Stars 2.
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They are not the favorites, but these Oilers are capable of surprising, and Thursday evening, the Dallas Stars understood a little why, in front of their fans no less.
The first game of this Western Conference final thus gave rise to this astonishing result, but not so much, insofar as the Oilers are not exactly underdogs in the conventional sense of the term.
After all, no one can be overlooked with McDavid in his lineup, he who scored this winning goal Thursday night, in addition to adding an assist, after receiving a four-minute penalty for high sticking. The Stars should have taken advantage, but they didn’t.
Just before, and after the punishment that we know, the Oilers star missed an almost certain goal when a few sticks, including that of goalie Jake Oettinger, got in his way to spoil his moment. But the great book of hockey clichés always reminds us that the best must be the best, and that’s exactly what Oilers number 97 was on this short Thursday for his club.
McDavid’s performance was very necessary, as was that of Draisaitl, also the author of a goal, and that of Zach Hyman, author of his team’s other goal.
This is what you need to remember above all, and anyone who thought this series was going to be played in front of the net was analyzing things from the wrong side.
Sure, Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner will never make it into the Hockey Hall of Fame unless he buys a ticket himself, but in 2024, big hockey wins don’t necessarily go to the team that is superior in front of the net, otherwise the Winnipeg Jets would still be playing.
Skinner, by the way, was completely credible in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. A little thanks to him, but not so much, the Oilers now find themselves with a 1-0 lead in this series which is the last step before the final and the big trophy placed at the other end.
The Stars, the second team in the general ranking this season, have certainly not said their last word. But if they understood one thing on this Thursday evening in Dallas, it was that the opponent was not going to let themselves be beaten in the face. The players in green now have until Saturday and game two of the series to think about all that and more.
Finally, we will simply add that if the other matches in this series are like this one, we will not be bored.