Leon Draisaitl on Edmonton Oilers collapse: ‘We’ve got to be an awful lot more mature than that’

DALLAS – The Edmonton Oilers managed the NHL’s Western Convention ultimate opener till abruptly they did not.

The lone Canadian membership left in Stanley Cup rivalry this 12 months was up 3-1 on the Dallas Stars after two durations Wednesday.

The Stars scored three unanswered power-play objectives in lower than six minutes to start out the third and tilt the ice in favour of the hosts.

The Oilers, who had been plus-10 in third-period objectives this post-season, could not wrest management again after ineffectual penalty kills because the Stars prevailed 6-3.

“We give up three goals in a row on the kill. It just kills the momentum, and then you’re chasing the game,” stated Oilers ahead Leon Draisaitl, who had a aim and two assists.

“The sport adjustments from there. We’ve obtained to be an terrible lot extra mature than that.”

After dropping their first two highway video games of the playoffs, the Oilers gained 4 in a row away from Rogers Place. 

They derailed earlier than they may lengthen it to 5 on Wednesday. Recreation 2 is Friday at American Airways Heart earlier than the best-of-seven collection flips to Edmonton beginning Sunday.

Edmonton squandered a premier recreation by Draisaitl, who factored in all three objectives, and Connor McDavid, who had two assists and a number of scoring probabilities because the Stars struggled to include the captain within the first 40 minutes.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins scored Edmonton’s first power-play aim on the highway in 16 probabilities for a 2-1 lead within the second interval. Defenceman Evan Bouchard’s fifth post-season aim, a minute 42 seconds later, had the guests up by two.

Edmonton held Dallas with no power-play aim on 14 probabilities in final 12 months’s convention ultimate, which the Oilers gained in six video games en path to the Cup ultimate.

However Dallas perforated this version’s penalty kill early and infrequently in Wednesday’s third interval by getting our bodies to the web to offer site visitors and screens. 

A Brett Kulak hooking penalty late within the second carried over to the third when Miro Heskainen struck 32 seconds after faceoff. 

Mikael Granlund made Corey Perry pay for a high-sticking minor, and Matt Duchene did the identical with an Evander Kane high-sticking penalty.

“We have to kill better. It’s as simple as that,” said Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse. “They have a good power play, but when we’re playing the way we can, and we’ve shown it in the playoffs, our penalty kill can be very good, too.

“We have to be better in that department, all of us, to a man. Whether it’s a won battle, a clear, a block, whatever play has to be made on the PK, we have to make it, and we didn’t do that enough tonight.

“Our five-on-five game is really good, we just have to use it more. In the last couple of series, when we stayed out of the box and kept the game at five-on-five, we played to the strength of our team.”

The Oilers weren’t able to turn a power-play chance midway through the third period, or the several seconds of sustained possession with a man-advantage before it was whistled, into an equalizer and went 1-for-3. The Stars were 3-for-4.

Tyler Seguin, with just under four minutes left, and Esa Lindell, with an empty-netter, sealed the Game 1 victory for the Stars.

Edmonton’s special teams have been solid at home in the post-season with a power play running at 60 per cent and a penalty kill at 83.3.

But the Oilers have given up 12 power-play goals on 25 chances and were 1-for-17 with a man advantage on the road

“It’s such a short sample size. Just to say the power play on the road isn’t very good, we’ve only had 16 opportunities and even if we put in one or two more… hitting goalposts or empty nets that we miss, they just go in, it’s probably what it should be,” Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch said. 

“They don’t go in, now it looks terrible. Do I think our power play is that good at home, where we’re 50 per cent or whatever it is? No, we’ve been very fortunate there. Over the course of a few more games, it will work itself out.”

Edmonton took Game 1 of last year’s conference final against the Stars in double overtime with McDavid scoring the winner for a 3-2 victory. The Oilers regretted letting Wednesday’s opener slip away.

“We let down our guard for five or six minutes, got into some penalty trouble,” said Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner, who made 22 saves to counterpart Jake Oettinger’s 24. 

“There are always momentum shifts, but in the playoffs it feels heavier because it’s a heavier moment.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first revealed Might 22, 2025.