Edmonton Oilers punch their return ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals with 6-3 win over Dallas in Game 5: Cult of Hockey Player Grades

The Edmonton Oilers are returning to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Article content

Article content

The Edmonton Oilers galloped out of the gate Thursday night in Dallas, opening the scoring with an early Power Play goal before streaking to a 3-0 lead and chasing Jake Oettinger.

The Stars punched back for two but then Edmonton did not allow a shot before a Connor McDavid breakaway in the second extended the lead to 4-2. And after Skinner allowed a softie to make it 4-3, Evander Kane re-extended the lead and Kasperi Kapanen drained the empty netter to end it.

Article content

And as we saw in Games Three and Four, the Oilers locked it down, allowing just four shots against in the third, and tonight? None in the last ten minutes.

Here’s the tale of the tape…

Edmonton Oilers Player Grades

STUART SKINNER. 6. Solid early stop on Johnston. An Edmonton turnover left Skinner all alone and could not kick out the 3-1. An important save shorthanded against Harley kept the game 3-1. Huge second period saves on Marchment and Bourque to keep it 3-1. Stopped Rantanen on the PK but then could not grab the Hintz shot for the 3-2. Gifted Dallas the 4-3 with a shot that cannot go in early in the third. A critical stop on Blackwell kept it 5-3. Stopped seventeen of twenty tonight. Full marks for out-duelling Jake Oettinger in back-to-back Western Conference Finals.

CONNOR McDAVID. 8. Brought the puck out of the corner from down low and threaded a perfect feed right to a waiting Corey Perry in front for the 1-0. One shot on the second PP. Caught in-between on the Kulak 3-1 turnover. Two key clears on a second period PK. Like a shot out of a cannon McDavid chased down a loose puck off an Ekholm blocked shot and double-deked DeSmith for the 4-2. Turned Harley inside-out and nearly snuck the puck five-hole on DeSmith. A steal in the third. Sixty-three percent on faceoff. Did hold the Clarence Campbell claret after the game.

Article content

Article content

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 5. A clear on a second period PK. A solid defensive performance in 16:51.

COREY PERRY. 6. The ageless wonder opened the scoring by planting himself on top of the crease and deflecting home a perfect McDavid centering pass, high glove just past Oettinger.

MATTIAS EKHOLM. 6. Making a most welcome return to play, after a long absence interrupted only by a single shift on April 11. Took an interference call after a long fire drill in the Edmonton end and the Stars scored the 3-2 on the resulting PP. But redeemed himself with a blocked shot that McDavid took the other way for the 4-2.

EVAN BOUCHARD. 7. Absorbed a high stick which turned into an Oilers Power Play and the 1-0 goal. Only had to play 20:40, twenty five shifts in all. Solid effort in the clinching game.

LEON DRAISAITL. 8. Beat not one but two Dallas Stars (Johnston and Lindell) off the wall and dished the puck over to McDavid, who in turn fed Perry for the 1-0. Fed Kane for a wraparound chance. Fired a one-timer from a Kapanen feed just wide. Received a Walman headman pass and powered up the middle, handing it off to Kane who swung it in front for the 5-3. Strong backcheck deep into his own zone in the third. Fifty percent on draws. +2. He was an absolute horse out there. +11 in the postseason.

Article content

EVANDER KANE. 7. Drew a high sticking minor in the first. Very nearly made it 4-1 with a wraparound attempt. Then, just missed another chance off a Bouchard shot from the point. Took a Draisaitl pass hard to the outside then tossed it into the slot where it deflected off a Dallas Star and in for the 5-3. That was a dagger. Kane’s fifth of the post season. Very effective on the second line.

KASPERI KAPANEN. 6. Nearly made it 4-1 with a deft deflection of a Kulak shot in front. A pass to Draisaitl for a chance that he just missed on. Scored the 6-3 empty-netter. Led the club with seven hits.

JAKE WALMAN. 8. The Oilers best defenceman in the clinching Game Five. Marvellous skating in this one, several times moving pucks out of danger. Spotted the slow Dallas change and quickly head-manned the puck to Arvidsson with a long, spot-on pass to help make it 2-0. A terrific defensive stuff on Duchene in the second. A fine headman pass to Draisaitl on the 5-3. +12 in these playoffs. What an acquisition.

Article content

JOHN KLINGBERG. 5. Battled. Bent but did not break.

ADAM HENRIQUE. 6. Actively involved in the slot scramble that eventually led to the Skinner 3-0 goal. Key clear in the third. Very smart defensive performance. 67% on the dot.

JEFF SKINNER. 7. Drawing back in for the first time since Game One of the L.A. series and swatted home a loose puck in front for the 3-0. That, after waiting 1,078 regular seasons before his first Stanley Cup Playoffs marker. Wisely skated a puck out of his own to safety after a Dallas push. Back-to-back shots on an effective second period shift. Another strong back check early in the third. On the ice with just 3:00 left. That’s trust.

TRENT FREDERIC. 6. Helped create the 3-0 first with a hard forecheck and then a strong stick in front. Well-earned assist. Strong defensive stick in the third. Laid five hits. Made numerous smart, safe defensive decisions.

Article content

DARNELL NURSE. 8. Shaded a bit too far over toward the far wall on the Kulak turnover. But a hard, heavy defensive play in his own zone late in the second to interrupt a Dallas cycle, safely clear the zone and get the 4-2 lead to the room after two. On the right side of the puck much of the night. 5v5 he was 19-8, 70%. High Dangers 8-1 5v5. Overall…excellent. Ten hits to lead the club.

BRETT KULAK. 5. Really fought it early. Handed Dallas the 3-1 goal with a careless turnover as he came out from behind his own net. A shot from the point deflected dangerously by Kapanen but stayed out. Turned it over again in the second then took a hooking call. Solid defensive play in his own zone contributed to the 4-2 sequence. Finished strong, with High Dangers 5v5 10-1.

MATTIAS JANMARK. 6. Shot through the middle like a bullet from a gun, swallowed up the Arvidsson pass and then put it five-hole for the 2-0. That triggered a Jake Oettinger pull.

Article content

VASILY PODKOLZIN. 6. This line turned in a hard, grinding, highly effective shift in the Dallas zone near the end of the first. Shot block on the second period PK.

VIKTOR ARVIDSSON. 7. Slid a well-timed pass into the middle from the wall for a hard-charging Mattias Janmark who potted the 2-0. Big part of the afore-mentioned hard first period cycle. Tenacious battle for the puck behind the Dallas goal line in the third. Seventy percent CF 5v5.

Now on Bluesky @kurtleavins.bsky.social. Also, find me on Threads @kleavins, Twitter @KurtLeavins, Instagram at LeavinsOnHockey, and Mastodon at KurtLeavins@mstdn.social. This article is not AI generated.

Recently, at The Cult…

LEAVINS: Oilers-Dallas Game Grades Game 4

STAPLES: Oilers-Dallas Game Grades Game 3

LEAVINS: Oilers-Dallas Game Grades Game 2

STAPLES: Oilers-Dallas Game Grades Game 1

In memory of Bruce McCurdy, 1955-2025.

Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

Article content