Oilers return to Edmonton in good shape after splitting first two games in Dallas

The Edmonton Oilers got the job done on the road, splitting the first two games of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. The series will now shift to Edmonton with the Oilers having home-ice advantage.

Last year, the Oilers split the first two games of their series with Dallas, edging out a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 1 before falling 3-1 in Game 2. They immediately gave back home-ice advantage to the Stars with a 5-3 loss in Edmonton in Game 3, then won three consecutive games to take the series in six.

No matter how this series goes, the Oilers need at least one win in Dallas to take down the Stars. They accomplished that in Game 2, and now all Edmonton needs to do is take care of business at home. Game 3 will come on Sunday afternoon, and Game 4 is set for Tuesday evening.

What they said…

Connor McDavid on the Oilers rebounding after losing Game 1…

“We always know how to bounce back. We believe that we’re a good team in tough situations. Down one on the road, we had to find a way to have your best game, and we had a good one and found a way to win.”

“We’re a different team than we have been in years past. Probably not as run and gun as we’ve been in years past, but I keep saying that we can play defence. Stu was great. A couple of breakdowns there that I didn’t like, especially in the third, but he was great.”

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins on splitting the first two games in Dallas…

“You come down to a city like this and they’re going to make it tough, so going home with a split is a good thing. We now have home-ice advantage, so it will be a huge Game 3 in front of our crowd. That building is going to be electric. We know that, so it’s going to be a lot of fun to play there. The series is a long way from over, and we’ve got to dig in here and have a good day tomorrow and go from there.”

Zach Hyman on the Oilers finding a way to punch back in Game 2…

“That’s the playoffs. You’ve got to be able to punch back. It’s a series. You’ve got to find a way. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions, but you’ve got to stay even-keeled, and I think we recognize how important each game is. But especially after a loss, you have to come out strong.”

Head coach Kris Knoblauch on the Oilers finding success with a simplified game… 

“No matter what team you have, whether you’ve got a team full of stars or third or fourth liners, you have to play the game with simplicity and hard work. Maybe there’s some fancier plays occasionally, but ultimately, the game comes down to just executing the simple plays over and over again.

“All those are boring things that don’t get on the highlights, but for any team to be successful, they’ve got to do it continuously.”

Stars forward Wyatt Johnston on Roope Hintz leaving Game 2 with an injury…

“We need him in the lineup. He’s just an awesome player, so good on both ends of the ice. So yeah, you don’t want to be without a guy like that. Obviously, don’t know how he is feeling, but he is such an important part of our team.”

Dallas captain Jamie Benn on how the Stars will approach Game 3 in Edmonton…

“I think we got another level to go, and we look forward to Game 3 here. There’s no panic. We’re going to regroup, refocus and reenergize and get ready for the next one.”