(Dallas) Jake Oettinger made 28 saves and the Dallas Stars defeated the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 on Saturday to tie the Western final at 1-1.
Mason Marchment scored the decisive goal at the start of the third period. Jamie Benn and Esa Lindell also found the back of the net in the victory.
Connor Brown was the only scorer for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner stopped 28 pucks.
The Stars were still without Roope Hintz, who missed a fourth straight game with an upper-body injury. In the Oilers clan, Adam Henrique was on the sidelines for a seventh game in a row.
This series will move to Edmonton for the next two meetings, Monday and Wednesday.
The Oilers are trying to reach the Stanley Cup final for the first time since 2006. The Stars are playing in a second consecutive Western final after being eliminated in six games by the Vegas Golden Knights, the last year.
Action quickly
The Stars took the lead for the first time in this series just 3:39 into the game. On a two-on-one drive, Benn opted for a low shot that beat Skinner on the stick side.
This goal seemed to have whipped the Oilers, who responded 44 seconds later through Brown. The latter recovered a return and placed the puck between Oettinger’s pads. It was his first goal of the playoffs.
PHOTO TONY GUTIERREZ, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Stars goalie Jake Oettinger frustrates Mattias Janmark.
The Oilers continued to apply pressure and were outshot 16-4 in the first period. But the tide subsequently turned.
Despite a scoreless second period, the Stars slowly regained the upper hand, and they scored at 3:41 of the last period. Marchment deflected a Ryan Suter point shot.
Lindell then added the insurance goal in an empty cage at 17:57. Sutter had previously blocked a shot in his own zone to allow the local favorites to maintain the lead.
Benn received a penalty for a tackle with 90 seconds left and the Oilers called a timeout to organize themselves. Evander Kane, however, put an end to his team’s numerical superiority by being penalized himself.