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After several days of waiting in limbo, the Edmonton Oilers now know who they will be taking on in the Western Conference Final. That team will be the Dallas Stars, who were able to defeat the Winnipeg Jets in Game 6 on Saturday night. This will be a rematch of last year’s Western Conference Final, where the Oilers were able to eliminate the Stars in six games.
These two teams have been heavy hitters in the West in recent years. This will mark the Oilers’ third Western Conference Final in four years, while the Stars have now made it to this point in three straight seasons. It’s expected to be a very close battle between two elite teams. Should the Oilers come out on top, they will need these four things to go in their favour.
Power Play Needs to Improve
In past years, the Oilers have often gotten by, especially in the playoffs, thanks to the brilliance of their power play. This year has been different, as they are getting plenty of even-strength scoring thanks to several depth pieces stepping up. While that is a positive, their power play struggles as of late have been a concern.
The Oilers’ power play really struggled against the Vegas Golden Knights, making it rather surprising that they were able to get by in just five games. That speaks largely to how well they are playing at even strength, but the team is well aware this is something they’ll need to be better at against a lethal Stars group.
“Our five-on-five game has been really good. Our specialty teams will need to get going here,” Connor McDavid said. “Starts with the power play, our power plays got to find a way to be a factor in this series, and we will.”
Skinner Needs to Start Hot
The playoffs have been a rollercoaster ride for Stuart Skinner. He was replaced by Calvin Pickard after two rough starts versus the LA Kings, but got the net back partway through the second round due to an injury to his goalie partner. He’s rebounded in incredible fashion, posting back-to-back shutouts to knock off the Golden Knights.
The issue for Skinner is that his numbers to begin a series, versus those in the latter half, are vastly different. He will need to find a way to keep his recent play going, as it’s of the utmost importance that the Oilers don’t put themselves into a hole before heading back to Rogers Place for Games 3 and 4.
McDavid and Draisaitl Need to Step Up Their Play
McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are rightfully considered the best playoff performers in the game today, though so far this year, they’ve been rather quiet. The Oilers captain had just five points in five games versus the Golden Knights, while his counterpart had six. The fact that those numbers are viewed as disappointing speaks to how much is expected of them, but they’ll need to pick things up in order to compete with a Stars team that is loaded with scoring talent.
A big part of their numbers being down is due to the previously mentioned struggles on the power play. It’s worth noting that the Stars’ penalty kill has been very good in the postseason at 86.1 percent, though the Oilers’ dynamic power play group has exposed great penalty kills in the past. Getting it back on track would obviously help improve McDavid and Draisaitl’s totals.
Nurse Needs to Be at His Best
While Mattias Ekholm hasn’t been ruled out for the entirety of this series, it has been confirmed that he won’t play in the opening two games. That update suggests that even if he does return, he will be far from full health, which means the rest of the blue line as a collective whole will need to be at their best.
The biggest concern of the bunch is Darnell Nurse, who has struggled in past playoff runs and has been quite inconsistent thus far. When at his best, he can be a complete force, as he is a great skater, can shut down opponents, and makes a great first pass that can lead to scoring chances. The Oilers will need the best version of Nurse to knock off the Stars, as it’s unclear what Ekholm will be able to provide should he be able to return.
Thrilling Series Ahead
Though the Oilers came out on top of this battle last year, this Stars team is an even more dangerous bunch this go around. The big reason for that was the acquisition of Mikko Rantanen, who has been as advertised with nine goals and 19 points in 13 games. That said, the Oilers have plenty of weapons of their own, which should allow for this series to be one of, if not the best, we’ve seen yet in this year’s playoffs.
More must-reads:
- Canadiens handle important piece of business with Mike Matheson's long-term extension
- Connor McDavid made an egregious mistake with Oilers
- The 'Five game-winning-drives in a season' quiz
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Sabres' only hope for success is if Terry Pegula sells the team
Bad teams that are always bad tend to stay bad for a reason. You just have to pinpoint what that reason is. It usually starts at the top of the organization. That is the case for the once-proud Buffalo Sabres franchise, which has been completely sabotaged and turned into a league-wide laughing stock by the ownership of Terry Pegula. Sabres need an ownership change more than anything else The Sabres were humiliated on Friday afternoon, losing a 5-0 decision to the New Jersey Devils in front of a sellout crowd in Buffalo. That loss kept the Sabres at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, where they are the only team that does not have a points percentage of at least .500 or better. As the minutes ticked away in the third period, the Sabres fans who remained in the building started chanting for the team to fire general manager Kevyn Adams. It is probably a necessary change given how bad his general manager tenure has been and how far away the team remains from serious contention. The problem is that a general manager change will not matter, because the stink that occupies the Buffalo Sabres offices is coming entirely from the owner's chair. The chant from fans should be "sell the team." Pegula purchased the Sabres in February 2011 and watched as the team finished the season with 43 wins and made the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eventually losing in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers. That was the last time the Sabres organization qualified for the playoffs. Their now 14-year playoff drought is the longest in the history of the NHL and is tied with the NFL's New York Jets for the longest active playoff drought in professional sports. That means that in every full season Pegula has owned the Sabres, his team has failed to qualify for the playoffs in a league where half of the teams qualify every year. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, every other team in the NHL has played in at least 14 playoff games, including the Seattle Kraken, who are only in their fifth year of existence as a franchise. If you exclude the Kraken, every other team in the NHL has played in at least 25 playoff games during this time period. The Sabres remain at zero. From a regular season standpoint, the Sabres' .454 points percentage since the start of the 2011-12 season is also last in the NHL. Notice the line below where Pegula purchased the Sabres? Notice what has happened since then? It is staggering. Pegula has had four different general managers during his watch. He has had eight different head coaches. The rosters have been built and rebuilt several times. They have had two No. 1 overall picks (defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power) and two No. 2 overall picks (Sam Reinhart and Jack Eichel). None of it has mattered. Adding to the insult, several prominent players have left Buffalo and almost immediately won Stanley Cups with new teams, including Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights), Reinhart (Florida Panthers), Ryan O'Reilly (St. Louis Blues), Brandon Montour (Florida) and Kyle Okposo (Florida). It is a combination of a rotten culture, bad decision-making and hiring, and an ownership that does not even spend all the way to the salary cap. This is the second year in a row the Sabres have had more than $5 million in salary cap space despite having several needs all over the lineup and what should be a desperate desire to build a winning team for a fiercely loyal fan base. They deserve better than this and there is only one way for them to eventually get it. It is with anybody other than Terry Pegula continuing to own them.
Details emerge on Francisco Lindor's alleged incident with Mets teammate
Mr. Smile apparently wasn’t smiling too much about one of his teammates last season. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor had a "heated confrontation" with teammate Jeff McNeil last June, Mike Puma of the New York Post reported on Friday. Puma writes that Lindor began verbally attacking McNeil on June 20 over a defensive lapse that McNeil had during that day’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The confrontation, which was only verbal and never got physical, came in the midst of a seven-game losing streak by the Mets at the time. Puma also reports that the flashy Lindor clashed personalities during the year with the business-like Juan Soto during the season as well. Interestingly enough, the five-time All-Star Lindor also had a confrontation with McNeil in the dugout during a game in the 2021 MLB season. That confrontation did turn physical, and Lindor later offered an extremely unconvincing excuse for the incident. Meanwhile, the incident last June underscored the Mets’ struggles to get on the same page with one another during the 2025 campaign. Despite having a mammoth $342 million payroll, the Mets completely collapsed in the final weeks of the season and missed the playoffs altogether. Now there are rumors that the Mets could make some big changes this offseason, including a potential trade of McNeil. After another apparent confrontation between the veteran utilityman and the four-time Silver Slugger Award winner Lindor, it is clear that something is not quite working right now in that clubhouse.
Buffalo Bills legend reminds Keon Coleman 'you can be gone quick'
A Buffalo Bills legend provided some sage advice for Keon Coleman this week. Andre Reed enjoyed a Hall of Fame career with the Bills, during which he became fellow HOFer Jim Kelly’s favorite target within the vaunted Buffalo passing game during the team’s run to four straight Super Bowls in the 1990s. Now, Reed is hoping to spread some of the knowledge he gained during his time in the NFL in order to help Coleman take the next step as a professional. During a recent podcast hit on Bleav in Bills with Adam Benigni and Sal Maiorana, Reed delved into what he believes has prevented Coleman from reaching another level of performance in his second NFL season. “There’s something not connecting in there,” said the former Bills WR. “He’s got the talent out the yin yang. He’s a physical specimen. And he’s got to believe in himself that he can do that and he can make a big difference every single play if he wants to.” Reed added, “And I think there’s a little disconnect in his brain right now where he, all this other off-field stuff and all this other stuff that is going on. And I believe that (Head Coach Sean McDermott) is trying to show him, by sitting down for two weeks, that this game can be good to you, and it can not be good to you. And you can be gone quick. And I hope he sees that. And I know he does.” Coleman began the season as one of the Bills’ top targets in the passing game, but after being late to a team meeting leading up to a Week 11 meeting with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, McDermott elected to bench the former second-round pick, his third time being disciplined in his young career, and the second time this season. He was also a healthy scratch this past week against the Houston Texans, but McDermott later revealed it was not due to discipline, but rather because the Bills were forced to prepare for Houston on a short week. Reed is hoping Coleman’s inactivity over the past two weeks sent the 22-year-old a message. “Instead of me just going after him and saying, ‘You’re not doing this, you’re not doing — I kind of just tried to level the playing field and said, ‘Hey, do the extra stuff,’” said Reed. “Go in early. Do some one-on-ones with every DB after practice for 20 minutes. Do all this stuff and show these coaches that Keon Coleman is here to make plays and help this team win.” Coleman may get another chance to prove himself this week against the Pittsburgh Steelers, as the Bills are dealing with a list of injuries at the WR position. Curtis Samuel was placed on Injured Reserve on Saturday due to knee and elbow injuries, and Joshua Palmer missed time throughout the week due to an ankle injury and is questionable to play on Sunday. If he is indeed provided with a jersey on game day for the first time in three weeks, it would behoove Coleman to take Reed’s advice, keep his head down, do all the right things and continue to work himself back into the good graces of the coaching staff. Otherwise, he could be looking at a change of scenery this offseason.
Eagles' grip on NFC East suddenly in danger of slipping away amid spiral, Cowboys' resurgence
Life comes at you fast in the NFL, and the Philadelphia Eagles are finding that out right now. Now they are in a position where what looked to be a runaway lead in the NFC East is rapidly shrinking, and it could be in danger of completely slipping away after an ugly 24-15 loss to the Chicago Bears on Friday. Especially after the Dallas Cowboys won again on Thursday, continuing to narrow the gap in the division. Could the Eagles actually lose the division? The odds are still in the Eagles' favor, but given the way both teams are playing right now, nothing should be considered a given. Dallas has rapidly become one of the hottest teams in the NFL with three consecutive wins, and boasts one of the league's best offenses. The Cowboys' much-maligned defense has also been given a massive boost thanks to the trade-deadline addition of defensive lineman Quinnen Williams from the New York Jets. Dallas really started to get some belief for itself when it rallied to beat the Eagles in a massive NFC East game a week ago. It continued on Thanksgiving with another big win over the Kansas City Chiefs. With Philadelphia's loss on Friday, the gap in the division is now down to just a game-and-a-half with five weeks to go in the season. Hardly insurmountable. Are the Eagles still in the driver's seat? Sure. Would they trade positions with the Cowboys right now? No way. But that doesn't mean anybody in Philadelphia has to be feeling good about any of this given the way the Eagles are playing. Especially when it comes to the team's offense. The Eagles offense has been a struggle for much of the season, and it is getting progressively worse with each game. The passing game has been non-existent. They entered play on Friday with the 23rd-ranked passing offense in the league, and it looked worse than that against the Bears. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has struggled with consistency, the team's best wide receiver — A.J. Brown — seems perpetually miserable with his role and usage, and the play-calling has become shockingly conservative and bland. The running game that carried the Eagles to the Super Bowl a year ago has struggled to build any sort of a rhythm, and Saquon Barkley has been a shell of what he was last season. Even worse, they have almost completely eliminated any designed runs for Hurts, something that was a major X-factor for the offense in recent years. If all of that is not concerning enough, a new issue emerged on Friday — the defense that has helped keep the Eagles afloat this season and lift up the inconsistent offense was completely dominated by the Bears' running game. They were pushed around, bullied and could not get off the field on important third downs. It just looks like a team that has no confidence and nothing going for it. Conversely, the Cowboys all of a sudden look like a team that can do nothing wrong and they are suddenly breathing right down the Eagles' necks. Philadelphia still has games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Washington Commanders (twice) remaining. The Cowboys still have the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Chargers, Commanders and New York Giants. The schedules are pretty similar. But the division might not come down to the opponents. It might come down to what the Eagles and Cowboys can do on their own. The Cowboys should be very confident right now, and the Eagles should not be.
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