What Edmonton Oilers players are saying before Game 1 in Dallas
The Edmonton Oilers are in Texas, preparing for tonight’s opening game of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars.
It’s a rematch of last year’s West Final, and the Oilers are hoping they can advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive season. It’s a hungry Edmonton squad looking to get another shot at the Stanley Cup that they came within a single win of last season, while Dallas is out for revenge.
For the Oilers, depth scoring and timely goaltending have been the name of the game so far this postseason. Every forward has at least one goal, and they’ve gotten a few big games from both Calvin Pickard and Stuart Skinner between the pipes.
On the Dallas end, it’s been star power that has fuelled their postseason success. Mikko Rantanen leads all NHL playoff scorers with nine goals and 19 points. Thomas Harley and Miro Heiskaenen have been dynamite on the blueline, while Jakle Oettinger has been stellar in the Stars’ net.
How will the Oilers overcome Dallas’ star power? Players were asked that this morning in the lead-up to Game 1.
“Knowing where a guy like him is on the ice, he can kinda get lost,” Jake Walman said of Rantanen. “Being aware, knowing who you’re out against, and I always say, we’ll be trying to play with the puck as much as possible.
“One of the best teams and they’re here for a reason… We want to play against the best teams.”
For Evander Kane, this series is another chance for him to contribute and feel healthy after fighting through an injury during the entirety of last year’s run to the final. When asked about the challenge of potentially facing Rantanen on a regular basis, he had a very quick, to-the-point strategy.
“Play big, powerful, and skilled,” Kane said. “He’s obviously a great player, a big body out there, and a great set of hands.
“Like any player, you want to play them hard, whether that’s Rantanen, Tyler Seguin, or Cody Ceci… It’s gonna be a battle with everyone in their lineup and everyone in our lineup.”
#Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse & forward Evander Kane speak to the media ahead of tonight's Game 1 of the Western Conference Final in Dallas.@Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/QPCk50Mu6P
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 21, 2025
Edmonton has done a fantastic job of getting into the heads of opposing goalies throughout this playoff run. The team dismantled a Vezina finalist in Darcy Kuemper in the opening round and then got under the skin of Adin Hill in the second round.
Oettinger has been lights out for Dallas this year, sporting a .919 save percentage throughout the playoffs. A big part of Zach Hyman’s game is going hard into the blue paint, and he admitted that it will continue to be a priority in this series.
“Just get in front, nobody likes a screen,” Hyman said. “I think we were able to do it in the past two series, so we’ll just continue to do it and not focus on [Oettinger] per se, just focus on what we need to do.
“Our depth is probably our greatest strength right now. Having the ability to get everyone involved and contributing.”
Edmonton was able to grab Game 1 of last year’s Western Conference Final thanks to a double-OT goal from Connor McDavid. As the team prepares for the rematch, the hope is that they can get off to another quick start.