After three eliminations on Thursday night, there is the possibility of only one on Friday — of course, there’s only one game on Friday.
All eyes in the hockey world will be on the Enterprise Center in St. Louis as the Blues host the Winnipeg Jets. With a win, the Blues extend the series to Game 7 on Sunday. A win for Winnipeg punches its ticket to the second round.
Game 5 winners in a best-of-seven series tied 2-2 have gone on to win the series 79% of the time (233-62).
Winnipeg’s Kyle Connor had his second game this postseason with three or more points, becoming the third player in Thrashers/Jets 2.0 postseason history with multiple such games in one postseason. Blake Wheeler and Paul Stastny (both in 2018) are the others.
Mark Scheifele, who is second in scoring for the Jets this postseason, did not return after a hard hit in the first period of Game 5, and he did not travel with the team to St. Louis for Game 6.
Blues forward Nathan Walker scored two goals in Game 5. Born in Wales (though raised in Australia), he became the second Welsh-born player to score a goal in the Stanley Cup playoffs, joining Jack Evans (who played from 1956 to ’63).
The Enterprise Center has been a venue for the Blues in this series; the team won both home games this series by an aggregate score of 12-3.
Arda’s three stars from Thursday night
Pacioretty scored his first goal since Dec. 20 (his first playoff goal since 2021), which proved to be the game winner for Toronto as it eliminated Ottawa in the Battle of Ontario.
Stone had two points, including the game winner that he batted out of the air, as Vegas eliminated Minnesota and moves on the second round.
Despite losing to the Avs, Rantanen and Hintz became the first teammates in Stanley Cup playoff history to each record four points in a period. They get another chance to win a clinching game against Colorado on Saturday.
At least on this night, the playoff demons stayed away from the minds of the Toronto Maple Leafs, and they are on to Round 2. Auston Matthews and William Nylander started things off for Toronto before Brady Tkachuk pulled the Senators back within a goal 7:28 into the second. Veteran Ottawa forward David Perron tied the game at two 12:40 into the third, sending the home fans into a frenzy, but Toronto’s Max Pacioretty had the answer less than two minutes later. Nylander added an empty-netter to cap this one and send the Leafs on to play the Florida Panthers. Full recap.
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Auston Matthews sneaks in power-play goal for Toronto
Auston Matthews wrists in a power-play goal just past the goalie’s skate late in the first period for the Maple Leafs.
After the two teams traded goals in the first period — Shea Theodore for Vegas, Ryan Hartman for Minnesota — Jack Eichel scored his first goal of the postseason 16:12 into the second. After Eichel nearly scored another late in the third, his linemate Mark Stonedid score by knocking the puck in out of midair, giving the Knights a two-goal edge. They’d need it, as Hartman added another goal 31 seconds later, but the Wild could not find the equalizer in the final three minutes, and Vegas moves on. Full recap.
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Mark Stone hits puck into net out of midair for Vegas goal
Mark Stone gives Vegas a 3-1 lead as he whacks it in out of midair.
A defensive struggle this series has not been (save for a 2-1 OT win by the Stars in Game 3). The goal onslaught was on full display in Game 6. After two goals in the first for the Avs, the Stars had four in the second period — with Roope Hintz and Mikko Rantanen having a hand in all of them. However, the Avs got one goal from Martin Necas (who came over from Carolina in the original Rantanen trade), which was critical to what happened in the third. In the final frame, Colorado scored four straight –the game-tying tally from Valeri Nichushkin and the game-winner from Nathan MacKinnon, followed by empty-netters by Josh Manson and Cale Makar. We’re on to Game 7 Saturday! Full recap.
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MacKinnon’s 6th goal of the series pushes Avs ahead
Nathan MacKinnon finds the net for the sixth time this series to give the Avalanche the lead in the third period.
And so for the fourth year in a row, the Kings’ season ends in the first round of the playoffs against the Oilers. With the Kings’ backs against the wall, Quinton Byfield and Brandt Clarke helped the cause with first-period goals … unfortunately, Adam Henrique, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Zach Hyman also did, giving the Oilers a 3-2 edge after one. The Oilers would add to that lead with goals from Darnell Nurse and Trent Frederic in the second. L.A. would claw back with goals from Jordan Spence and Anze Kopitar, but that was as close as it would get, with Connor Brown sealing the deal with an empty-netter. Edmonton-Vegas is the Pacific Division matchup in the next round. Full recap.
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Oilers go up 5-2 on Trent Frederic’s goal
Trent Frederic’s impressive goal pads the Oilers’ lead in the second period.
STOCKHOLM — Buffalo Sabres star forward Tage Thompson scored the winner 2:02 into overtime, and Team USA outlasted Switzerland 1-0 in the final of the ice hockey world championship at Avicii Arena on Sunday.
It is the first on-ice trophy for USA Hockey in this tournament in 92 years, after the Americans brought it home back in 1933. And it was an emotional one. As Team USA posed for its championship photo at center ice, players held up a No. 13 jersey of Johnny Gaudreau, the former NHL and USA Hockey star forward who died tragically last August when he and his brother, Matthew, were hit by an allegedly drunken and enraged driver as they cycled at night in New Jersey.
Thompson, who had 44 goals and 72 points with the Sabres this season, is hoping to polish off his resume for a spot on the U.S. roster for the 2026 Olympics, and he’s off to a great start. A Team USA reserve for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February who did not suit up, Thompson made the most of his time playing with a host of young NHL forwards who either did not make, or have been eliminated from, the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Thompson’s shot, off passes from Utah Hockey Club forward Logan Cooley and Nashville Predators defenseman Brady Skjei, flew past the blocker of Swiss goaltender Leonardo Genoni, ending a dramatic but tight title game. Team USA outshot Switzerland 40-25.
Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman capped off the shutout in the final, finishing with 25 saves a year after his NHL teammate, David Pastrnak led the Czech Republic to this same title.
“We did it, the wait is over,” Swayman said in a post to USA Hockey fans on the organization’s social media platforms. “Thanks for sticking along with us. It’s going to be a great summer.”
The Americans were also formally awarded the title in 1960 when they won the Olympic tournament and the worlds did not take place. But they hadn’t won it on the ice in more than nine decades.
The Swiss played without injured star center Nico Hischier, the captain of the New Jersey Devils. After the loss, Genoni was named the tournament’s MVP.
Earlier Sunday, Sweden defeated Denmark 6-2 in the bronze medal game. Calgary Flames center Mikael Backlund and Minnesota Wild forward Marcus Johansson scored two goals each for the hosts, marking the second-straight third-place finish for Sweden. The fourth-place result was the best-ever finish for Denmark.
While fans in Edmonton and Dallas are always singing about how they have friends in low places, only one of them has the high ground in the Western Conference finals. And that’s the Oilers after their 6-1 win Sunday in Game 3 to take a 2-1 series lead.
With the series tied heading into Sunday, the objective for Game 3 was to gain a firm grasp of the conference finals, and the Oilers did just that by having five players with multipoint performances. As for the Stars, losing Game 3 left them trailing a series for the second time this postseason, with the only other such occurrence coming after Game 1 against the Colorado Avalanche in the first round.
Now that the Oilers are in control of the series, what does it mean for them going forward? What must the Stars do differently ahead of Game 4 for them to return home tied rather than a game away from elimination? Ryan S. Clark and Greg Wyshynski examine those questions while delving into what lies ahead for two teams that not only faced each other in the conference finals last season but between them have been involved in every conference final since 2020.
Edmonton Oilers Grade: A
Much could change between now and whenever the playoffs end. But for now, the argument could be made that this was the most important playoff game the Oilers have had this postseason.
The Oilers have had numerous strong performances, such as Game 3 against the Los Angeles Kings in the first round or their final two games against the Vegas Golden Knights in the conference semifinals. But what made the Oilers’ performance in Game 3 against Dallas arguably their most important was that they found a balance between being difficult in the defensive zone while not relying on a shutout to accomplish that objective.
The Stars finished with 37 shots, 13 high-danger chances in 5-on-5 play and scored only once. Connor McDavid has repeatedly stressed that the Oilers can play defense, and that has been made clear over their past five games. But Sunday proved they didn’t need Stuart Skinner or their defensive structure to blank an opponent to win. — Ryan S. Clark
Dallas Stars Grade: C+
The final score doesn’t reflect the majority of this game, which Dallas coach Pete DeBoer can mine for positives among the many (many) negatives and some mitigating circumstances. Having Roope Hintz warm up but not be able to go because of the foot injury he suffered from a Darnell Nurse slash in Game 2? That’s deflating. Having the on-ice officials miss a delay of game call on Brett Kulak in the first period only to have Evan Bouchard open the scoring 10 seconds later? Also deflating.
So it’s to the Stars’ credit that they got to their game at 5-on-5 in Game 3 better than they have in any game of the series, at least before Edmonton ran up the score in the third. The results weren’t there and a loss is a loss — and a loss by this margin is difficult to stomach — but their second period and the performances from some of their slumbering depth players give the Stars at least a glimmer.
However, there’s no question Edmonton has this thing in well in-hand and the Stars have to find a way to solve Skinner, which is not something I thought I’d be writing at this stage of the postseason. — Greg Wyshynski
Three Stars of Game 3
Two goals and an assist for his seventh career multigoal playoff game. Hyman’s second goal was the Oilers’ fourth off the rush, the most in one game by any team this postseason. Hyman also was plus-5 Sunday.
Bouchard scored his sixth goal of the postseason and these two were on the ice for the first two Edmonton goals. At 5-on-5 this postseason, the Oilers are outscoring their opponents 7-1, and 5-0 in this series, when Bouchard and Kulak are on the ice.
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Connor McDavid restores Oilers’ 2-goal lead
Connor McDavid finds the back of the net to restore the Oilers’ two-goal lead vs. the Stars.
3. Connor McDavid C, Oilers
For all the talk about the lack of goals from the best hockey player in the world (which was odd because he had 20 points in 13 games and was a plus-7 entering Game 3 despite having only three goals), McDavid punched out a pair of tucks for his sixth career multigoal playoff game. Also, seeing McDavid with the puck barreling toward the net on a 3-on-1 is nightmare fuel for opponents. — Arda Öcal
Players to watch in Game 4
Zach Hyman LW, Oilers
To go from 16 goals last postseason to just three goals entering Game 3 of the conference finals is one way to assess Hyman. Another is to realize that he’s been the most physical player on a team that is among the tallest and heaviest in the NHL.
Hyman came into Game 3 leading the NHL with 99 hits. He remained physical Sunday by leading the way with six hits in a game that saw the Oilers continue their punishing style with 47. But to then see Hyman score two goals and finish with three points in addition to that physicality? It once again adds to the narrative that the Oilers might not only have more dimensions than last year’s team, they could be better than the team that finished Stanley Cup runner-up in 2024. — Clark
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Zach Hyman’s 2nd goal puts Oilers up 4
Zach Hyman taps home his second goal of the game to put the Oilers up 5-1 vs. the Stars.
This is the first two-game losing streak for the Dallas goaltender in the playoffs. A lot of what happened in Game 3 wasn’t necessarily on him — a Connor McDavid beauty and a Zach Hyman breakaway were among the Edmonton tallies — but outside of the third period of Game 1, he’s not been a difference-maker in this series. Oettinger came into the game leading the playoffs with 5.58 goals saved above expected, according to Stathletes. The Stars have been able to depend on him as a slump-breaker. But this is his third game with a save percentage south of .900 in the series. As the Stars try to build on some positives from this game, they need Otter to provide the foundation for it — and in the process, silence those “U.S. backup!” chants from the Oilers fans. — Wyshynski
Big questions for Game 4
Are the Oilers about to do to the Stars what they did to the Golden Knights?
Simply put, the Oilers are where hope goes to die. Teams in a championship window that have yet to win a title are always being judged on their evolution. What the Oilers did to the Stars a year ago in the conference finals by winning the last three games showed that they could close out a series after trailing. This postseason Edmonton has shown a calculated and methodical coldness when it comes to putting away opponents.
The Golden Knights won Game 3 on a last-second goal to create the belief they may have found an opening. They didn’t score again for the rest of the playoffs after being in the top five of goals per game throughout the regular season. Breaking out for six goals to open the series seemed to be a sign the Stars may have found an opening. Since then? They’ve scored only once in the last six periods while facing questions about what’s happened to another team that went from being in the top five in goals per game in the regular season. — Clark
Can Dallas make Edmonton uncomfortable at all?
Our colleague Mark Messier made this point between periods of Game 3: The Stars have yet to do anything to get McDavid or Leon Draisaitl off their games. That extends to the rest of the Oilers. Outside of an anomalous run of three power-play goals in the third period of Game 1, there have been precious few instances of the Stars carrying play for long stretches or putting a scare into Edmonton at 5-on-5.
They had that for a bit in Game 3 with a dominant second period: plus-14 in shot attempts, plus-11 in scoring chances and a 10-1 advantage in high-danger shot attempts. But they were digging out of a 2-0 hole, only managed to get one goal of their own on the board and then McDavid stuck a dagger in them with 19 seconds left in the second.
The Stars need a lead. They need zone time. They need to get their rush game going: Skinner had a .897 save percentage on shots off the rush entering the game. Edmonton is playing with a champion’s confidence. Dallas has to find a way to inject a little doubt into its opponent or this series is going to end quickly. — Wyshynski
Stuart Skinner made 33 saves in the Edmonton net to improve to 4-4 in the postseason this year, his first victory in the playoffs that wasn’t a shutout.
“We had a bit of a dip, they had a bit of push,” Nugent-Hopkins said of the Stars’ play in the second period, lauding Skinner for keeping the team in it. “He stepped up big time for us, and made some big saves. You need your goalies to do that.”
The Oilers have won two straight since their third-period collapse in Game 1 in Dallas, and improved to 10-3 in the postseason since dropping the first two games of their first-round series vs. the Los Angeles Kings.
Jason Robertson scored for the Stars, who are hoping to avoid being knocked out in the third round by the Oilers for a second consecutive season.
“They were definitely the better team in the second period,” Skinner said of the Stars. “And we kind of knew that going into the third. So, we just had to reset.”
Jake Oettinger stopped 18 shots in Dallas’ net, falling to 5-10 in his career in West final contests.