Oilers return to the Stanley Cup Finals after beating the Stars 4-1 in the Western Conference Final

Dallas Stars vs. Edmonton Oilers (GAME 5)

The Edmonton Oilers won Game 5 in the Western Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Dallas Stars on May 29, 2025. This matchup took place at American Airlines Center and ended with a final score of 6-3 in the Oilers' favor. Read about how the Edmonton Oilers won the last game of the Western Conference Finals, the standout players of each team, and the stats of Game 5! 

Game Recap

Game 5 was kicked off with an early power play goal scored by #90 Corey Perry forty-four seconds into their man-advantage which made it a 1-0 game for the Oilers. A few minutes after the opening goal was scored, #13 Mattias Janmark made it a two-goal game for the Oilers after his wrist shot slipped past Stars’ starter goaltender, #29 Jake Oettinger (2-0). After seven minutes and nine seconds on the ice, the Stars’ head coach, Peter DeBoer, pulled #29 Oettinger and put #1 Casey DeSmith in net for the remainder of the period. Despite making a couple great saves for the Stars, #1 DeSmith was unable to stop #53 Jeff Skinner’s snapshot from extending the Oilers’ lead, 3-0. Midway through the first period, #21 Jason Robertson was able to cut the Stars’ deficit down to two-goals after successfully scoring on the Oilers’ goaltender, #74 Stuart Skinner, after receiving a great pass by #53 Wyatt Johnston (3-1). Although the Stars struggled to capitalize on their goal scoring chances, their penalty kill unit remained strong during the latter half of the period as they killed off an Oilers power play opportunity shortly after scoring their first goal of the game. Both #1 DeSmith and #74 Skinner made remarkable saves which kept the remainder of the first period stagnant with a score of 3-1 in the Oilers favor going into the second period. 

The second period remained at a standstill until #24 Roope Hintz momentarily made it a one-goal game for the Stars (3-2). About two minutes after the Stars’ second goal of the game, Oilers’ #97 C. Connor McDavid regained their two-goal lead after he snapped the puck past #1 DeSmith (4-2). After a series of hits, great scoring chances, and solid goaltending performances, the Stars continued to trail the Oilers, 4-2, going into the last period of regulation. 

Hope spread through the Stars fans at American Airlines Center when #21 Robertson made it a one-goal game thirty-eight seconds into the third period (4-3). This rush from the Stars did not hinder the Oilers as they quickly shut down the Stars and made it a 5-3 game with a goal scored by #91 Evander Kane. After a back and forth game, an empty net goal by Oilers’ #42 Kasperi Kapanen was able to secure their 6-3 win as well as their 4-1 West Final win against the Stars in the Western Conference Final. 

After beating the Dallas Stars in the Western Conference Final for a second year in a row, the Edmonton Oilers were named the 2025 Western Conference Champions. Although it was a great accomplishment to be reunited with the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, the Oilers have their eyes on the Stanley Cup. The job is not done yet for the Oilers as they will face the Florida Panthers once again in the Stanley Cup Finals. 

The standout players

Edmonton Oilers

• Forward: #97 C. Connor McDavid (1G, 1A) ended the game with 2 points

• Defensemen: #96 Jake Walman assisted two goals 

• Goaltender: #74 Stuart Skinner had a save percentage of 0.824% after he saved 14 out of 17 shots on goal

Dallas Stars

• Forward: #21 Jason Robertson scored two out of the three Stars goals of this game 

• Defensemen: #55 Thomas Harley assisted two goals during this game 

• Goaltender: #29 Jake Oettinger initially started out in net and had a save percentage of 0.000% after he let two goals slip past him seven minutes into the first period. #1 Casey DeSmith took over in net for the Stars and ended the game with a 0.850 SV% after he saved 17 out of 20 shots on goal. 

Stats

• The Oilers outshot the Stars (23 SOG vs. 17 SOG)

• The Oilers delivered more hits than the Stars (48 hits vs. 43 hits)

• The Oilers won more faceoffs than the Stars (54.9% vs. 45.1%) 

• The Oilers and Stars had the same power play success rate (50 PP% vs. 50 PP%)

SUMMARY: The Oilers ability to maintain puck possession throughout the game and to take advantage of their scoring chances greatly benefited them in their Game 5 win despite the Stars having the same success rate on the man-advantage.

The Edmonton Oilers won the 2025 Western Conference Final, 4-1, against the Dallas Stars

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