Who will win the rematch?
The Western Conference Final stacks up to be Dallas against Edmonton for the second season in a row. We went 1-1 in the second round predictions, after checking out like a chicken to not pick the Oilers.
It’s crazy what a difference a year makes, here is Edmoton’s top-12 scorers of the playoffs so far.
And here’s what it was in the first two rounds of last spring:
Last year it was the Connor and Leon show, practically no one else besides Evander Kane was chipping in that wasn’t directly fueled by one of the two stars. This time around, there’s a lot more balance. Kane is playing well again but this time Corey Perry and Connor Brown have showed up big time, others are also chipping in occasionally. Edmonton got virtually zilch last season that wasn’t 97/29 created but this year they’ve been dramatically deeper of a team. As such, the Oilers boomed the Vegas Golden Knights out in five games.
And, whether it’s viewed as a problem for not happening yet, or any opportunity to improve — Connor McDavid only has one power play point so far this playoff. You would think that changes sooner than later but despite scoring 17 points in 11 games so far he’s actually got a reasonable change to kick it up even further.
To combat this deeper-than-ever Oilers squad, the Stars can turn to returning players. Miro Heiskanen is finally healthy and just in time for this series. Jason Robertson is playing now too. But the biggest difference from last season (where Edmonton won in six games) is that now Dallas boasts a player on par with McDavid and Draisaitl that can take over and pull out a singularly great performance in Mikko Rantanen. Rantanen’s 19 points are ahead of the Edmonton duo (with two more games played by Dallas) and the Stars will be hoping the power of that addition can tip the balances.
While Rantanen will rightfully get almost all of the attention as a key add, the Oilers have been quietly at work as well in that area. Jake Walman and John Klingberg have formed one of the most surprisingly capable pairs this playoff and proven to be nice under-the-radar types of additions for Edmonton. It turned out they badly needed it since Mattias Ekholm hasn’t been able to play yet this playoff season.
The goalie department should also be in Dallas’s favor. Jake Oettinger is a consistent netminder, solid and capable. Edmonton rides the lightning by switching from Stuart Skinner to Cal Pickard as needed. Somehow, to this point, it has worked out for the best. Remaining optimistic about the goaltending the Oilers will get from game to game (or even period to period) is a difficult task. Not so for the Stars.
Most consider this a coin flip series, and for good reason for a series featuring two exceptionally strong teams that are peaking at the right time. In the end, the lure of the first Stanley Cup rematch since 2008-09 is too much to pass up at not predicting. Can McDavid get a parallel to Sidney Crosby by winning his first Cup by avenging his loss from the team that beat him the year prior? To be decided, but boy that would make for some great theater should that opportunity develop. Prediction: Oilers in 6