The Oilers’ playoff run continues to the conference finals: How they got here, what to expect from Stars matchup
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Ryan S. Clark, NHL reporter
The Edmonton Oilers are headed back to the Western Conference finals, after holding on to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 3-2 in Game 7 of their second-round series.
Edmonton’s win sets up a matchup with the Dallas Stars, who defeated the Colorado Avalanche in six games.
Here are the key takeaways from the Oilers’ run so far, and how they match up with the Stars in the next round:
Both Oilers special teams are proving elite
It’s possible that what the Canucks did in Games 5 and 6 may have provided something of a blueprint for how to at least slow down the Oilers’ power play. But even then, the Oilers have used this postseason to once again show why they’ve been one of the premier power-play units in the NHL over the past few seasons.
Coming into Game 7, the Oilers had the NHL’s best power-play unit, with a 36.8% success rate that’s been buoyed by Leon Draisaitl scoring six of their 14 goals while Connor McDavid had 10 assists.
But for anyone thinking the power play is the Oilers’ lone advantage on special teams, guess again. The Oilers’ penalty kill has also been the best in the NHL this postseason, as it has had a success rate of more than 90%. Mattias Ekholm, Vincent Desharnais, Mattias Janmark and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins are all playing vital roles in anchoring the kill, logging more than 20 minutes in those short-handed sequences this postseason.
What a difference a year makes
Go back to what happened to the Oilers when they were eliminated in the second round last season.
Among the issues they faced then was finding defensive consistency. They allowed the sixth-most goals per game (3.50), the eighth-most shots per game (31.5) and possessed an average penalty kill (75.6%).
One of the questions facing the Oilers heading into this past offseason was seeing what lessons they would learn from their second-round exit.
With coach Kris Knoblauch’s in-season arrival, the Oilers have found that defensive consistency, and it has carried over to the playoffs. Entering Game 7, the Oilers had allowed the ninth-most goals per game, at 2.82, while allowing the fewest shots per game, at 21.2. And as previously mentioned, their penalty kill ranks first this postseason.
How will Stuart Skinner perform on the big stage?
No Oiler came into this postseason facing more questions than Skinner, and this will be the biggest series of his career. He was pulled in the final three games of their second-round exit last year, with the thought being that his performances are central to the Oilers’ success.
After being pulled in Game 3 against the Canucks, Skinner returned in Game 6 and stopped all but one shot in his team’s series-tying win.
But how will Skinner fare now that he’s going from facing a team that was averaging the fewest shots in the playoffs to one that’s averaging the second most (behind the Oilers themselves)? Bear in mind that the goaltender he’s competing against — Jake Oettinger — is a Conn Smythe front-runner and in the top three of several categories.
The spotlight is squarely on Skinner.
Will the Oilers’ secondary scoring show up in the conference finals?
Evan Bouchard, Zach Hyman, Draisaitl and McDavid scored 64% of the Oilers’ goals last playoffs. This year, that quartet has combined to score 66% of the Oilers goals coming into Game 7. While McDavid has only scored two of those goals, it does create questions about what the Oilers can do to find secondary and tertiary scoring against a Stars team that’s had all but one player record a point during these playoffs.
The bottom-six lineup the Oilers used for Game 7 had combined to score two goals with both goals belonging to Warren Foegele and Mattias Janmark. It’s a jarring contrast considering the Oilers’ third defensive pairing of Codi Ceci and Brett Kulak had two goals, with Ceci scoring in Game 7 to push that total for three.
How the Oilers match up against the Stars
Regular season record vs. DAL: 1-2-0
One team is the most prolific in these playoffs, while the other has been one of the best at goal prevention throughout the postseason.
This is just one of the prisms through which an Oilers-Stars conference finals can be viewed.
While scoring remains a hallmark of the Oilers, they’ve used these playoffs to show that their defensive structure can also generate results. Continuing to rely on those principles could prove useful against a Stars team that also is capable of winning games in a variety of ways.
And if Skinner can provide the sort of stability in net that can at least equal Oettinger? That could be enough to push the Oilers to the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2006.
The 2025 MLB All-Star Home Run Derby is fast approaching — and the field is starting to take shape.
Braves hometown hero Ronald Acuna Jr. become the first player to commit to the event, which will be held at Truist Park in Atlanta on July 14 (8 p.m. ET on ESPN). He has since been followed by MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh of the Seattle Mariners, James Wood of the Washington Nationals and Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins.
As the entrants are announced, we’ll add them to the running list below — and break down their chances at taking home this year’s Derby prize.
Full All-Star Game coverage: How to watch, schedule, rosters, more
2025 home runs: 9 | Longest: 467 feet
Why he could win: Acuna has been crushing it since he returned to the lineup May 23 after knee surgery. Indeed, his numbers are even better than during his MVP season in 2023. It should help that he’ll be hitting in front of his home fans in Atlanta: Todd Frazier in Cincinnati in 2015 and Bryce Harper with the Nationals in 2018 rode the loud support to Derby titles. Acuna’s raw power should also translate well to the Derby: Among players with at least 500 at-bats since 2023, he has the longest average home run distance in the majors.
Why he might not: Will he run into Pete Alonso again? Acuna competed in the 2019 and 2022 contests, losing both times to Alonso by a single home run (in the semifinals in 2019 and in the first round in 2022). The home-field advantage can also perhaps be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first with 41 home runs but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 35 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, with 32 home runs, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he can win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he won’t: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Pittsburgh Pirates are back on the board after Tommy Pham‘s two-run home run in the third inning at Kansas City on Monday night ended a 30-inning scoreless streak.
The Pirates had been shut out in all three games at Seattle during their previous series.
However, they tallied another loss against the Royals, losing 9-3.
The scoreless streak included Sunday’s 1-0 loss to the Mariners in which Pittsburgh ace Paul Skenes threw 10 strikeouts in five scoreless innings before the Pirates gave up a run in the bottom of the sixth.
Before beginning this nine-game trip with the sweep by the Mariners, the Pirates had blanked the St. Louis Cardinals in three consecutive home games. Their streak of playing in six straight shutouts matched the longest in major league history.
Pham, a 12-year veteran who is in his first season with the Pirates, bookended the scoreless skid with RBIs. He drove in a seventh-inning run with a groundout Wednesday during the 5-0 victory over the Cardinals.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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