As it turns out, the Dallas Stars aren’t immune to the local power shortage either, even if their head coach was furious afterward.
There’s a reason why in the 80 years that the NBA and NHL have coexisted, the idea of the two teams sharing the same building and winning the Stanley Cup and NBA Finals in the spring has never come to fruition. It certainly was a tough night for Dallas on Friday. The Stars wore themselves out for the second straight game, giving up two easy power-play goals early on in a 3-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at the American Airlines Center.
It was a lackluster performance for the Stars, who haven’t scored since the first six minutes of Game 4 and scored their lone goal less than six minutes into Friday’s game. The drought of a shutout win is far too long for this time of year, especially considering the opposing goaltender is Stuart Skinner and the Oilers are far more feared for their high-octane offense than their rock-solid defense.
Is it over yet? It’s hard to say, but fans who filed out early were probably wondering if they’d see this team again on Tuesday night.
The Stars have to win in Edmonton on Sunday. Yes, they’ve already won once. Then they’ll have to close it out at home on Tuesday. Pete DeBoer is unbeaten in seven games (8-0), so don’t count that out either. But this Western Conference final took a decisive turn on Wednesday and looked even more decisive after Edmonton scored five straight goals to extend its winning streak to eight with a 3-0 lead after two periods on Friday.
After practice that morning, I asked Coach DeBoer about fatigue and the lack of energy his team, which plays its 99th game in Edmonton on Wednesday, had in the third period after trailing 4-2 with 20 minutes left. That’s when the Stars typically perform at their best, dominating games and peppering the goalie with shots. They were credited with having one scoring chance in the period, and their performance was no different in the second period of Game 5, when Edmonton turned a 1-0 lead into a more commanding 3-0 advantage.
DeBoer acknowledged that fatigue could affect the game but dismissed the idea: “I think this team can overcome any fatigue when they get this far. The stakes are too high and it’s too close to the end,” he said.
When I asked about his team’s lackluster second period, which he casually ignored, DeBoer said, “You can sit here and question our character if you want. That’s what you’re doing. You haven’t been here all year and I haven’t seen you all year. Write whatever you want to write.”
At least one member of the club showed some mettle on Friday night.
Listen to the full post-game exchange between Sportsday columnist Tim Cowlishaw and Stars coach Pete DeBoer following Friday’s loss to the Stars vs. Oilers.
Not to be a doomsayer, but Dallas was very close to the end of the line for most of Game 5. Connor McDavid’s line found time and space with the puck all night as the Stars struggled to get out of their own half and couldn’t keep up effective pressure on Skinner after the opening few minutes. The Stars were down 3-0 and outshot 13-6 at the 30-minute mark.
After going 0-for-6 with the men’s advantage in their first four games, Edmonton’s power-play scoring looked textbook easy: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals — one 18 seconds into the power play and the other 16 — by winning the faceoff, making a quick pass or two and getting going.
The Stars haven’t been particularly good on the penalty kill this postseason, ranking eighth before Friday night, but this early fumble, following missed penalty kicks by defencemen Ryan Suter and Miro Heiskanen, handed the keys to the visitors for Game 5. The Stars now travel to the road playing aggressively and fearful of a penalty kick that could once again spark the NHL’s best power play.
No one doubts the Stars will play with a bit more oomph once Sunday’s game begins. It’d be hard to do anything else. But now the Oilers power play has become a real factor in both teams’ minds for the first time in a conference final. And the Stars know that an early lead is not secure, even when it is certain, after quickly losing a 2-0 lead in Game 4 at Rogers Place. So while they’ll need an extra level of play from the defensive end, as they always do, this team also needs their scorers to step up.
Jason Robertson’s hat trick in Game 3 feels like one of the greatest illusions of all time. Robertson had one final shot on goal on an otherwise unremarkable night, one of many he’s had in the past two postseasons. Wyatt Johnston’s goal with 5:51 left was too little too late. Dallas lowered Jake Oettinger with two minutes left but only managed one shot before the horn sounded, sending both teams back to Canada with a much different feel than Game 3 earlier this week.
X: Tim Cowlishaw
About X/Twitter: Tim Cowlishaw
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