Oilers earn split in Dallas with 3-0 shutout for Skinner 3-0 in Game 2

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Published May 24, 2025 • Last updated 4 hours ago • 6 minute read

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins #93 of the Edmonton Oilers celebrates with Zach Hyman #18 after scoring a goal against Jake Oettinger #29 of the Dallas Stars during the first period in Game Two of the Western Conference Final of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 23, 2025, in Dallas, Tex. Photo by Stacy Revere /Getty Images

The Oilers skated into a near must-win situation in Game Two and repeated the impressive opening forty minutes they produced in Game One.

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After a 1-0 first, Edmonton outshot Dallas 14-5 in the second and took a 3-0 lead into the room with most of a power play to start the final frame.

From there…the Oilers turned in the disciplined effort they lacked in Game One, behind the rock-solid netminding they also needed a game ago, and a perfect 2-for-2 on the Penalty Kill…also a reversal of Game One fortunes.

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What a difference a couple days makes! A tremendous effort all-around for the Oilers, for whom the series is now all tied up at 1-1, coming back home.

Here’s the tale of the tape…

STUART SKINNER. 9. Early glove save on a Duchene backhand. Then, handled a very tough Hintz rebound. Good save on Robertson later in the first to wrap up a more than solid opening twenty. Glove grab off Johnston in the second. Clutch toe save on Rantanen part-way through the second. But the key save in this game was his stuff on Hintz…after which his mates scored the 2-0 at the other end of the ice. Massive shift in momentum. Reached waaaay back with his stick to deflect just wide a Lindell shot off a hard rebound from the end boards. Stopped all twenty-five shots he faced. In starts following a loss this season, Stuart Skinner is 15-8-1, a 2.35 GAA, .915 SV%, and three shutouts.

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CONNOR McDAVID. 7. A steal on the PK and sped away on a two-on-one with Hyman, hitting a post at the other end. Galloped down the ice on Heiskanen later in the frame and batted a tricky shot on net. Excellent back-check in the second. Received the stretch from Bouchard and fed Kulak for the 2-0. Drew an interference call early in the second.

RYAN NUGENT-HOPKINS. 8. Has found his offence at the most timely of moments in this post-season. Scooped home the deflected Bouchard point shot on the PP for the 1-0 goal. Great feed to Draisaitl on the second period PP. Fed Kane for a good second frame chance. Effective puck retrieval and a shot-pass to Brown in front for the 3-0. Four hits, +2. Excellent PK work.

ZACH HYMAN. 7. Hard shot on goal after a nifty entry by Bouchard. Five hits in the first period alone. Smart pass inside to Perry who could not quite tuck his deke home. Smart back-check eliminated a chance for Dallas in the high slot. His stick slashed out of his hands with the net empty. Ended with nine hits.

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BRETT KULAK. 8. Opening shift point shot kicked out by Oettinger. A puck on net that Kane managed a subtle deflection on. Picked up the feed from McDavid, blasted one on net but then hammered the rebound home for the 2-0. Two splendid defensive plays deep in his own zone on a third period penalty kill.

EVAN BOUCHARD. 8. Played a whale of a game. Slap shot from the point deflected directly to Nugent-Hopkins for the 1-0. Set up Hyman for a dangerous shot next shift. Blocked shot right in front with his hand. A marvelous stretch pass to McDavid which earned Evan a secondary assist on the 2-0. Went off limping after another shot block in the third. Led the club in TOI at 23:33 in all three disciplines and performed at a high level all each of them. Three blocked shots. Led the club in 5v5 CF (16-12, 57%). Two Grade “A”‘s for, none against according to our running Cult of Hockey count.

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LEON DRAISAITL. 7. Sublime feed through a seem to Walman who blasted one just wide. Fed the point for a secondary assist on the 1-0. Caught just a fraction of an Oettinger elbow on a terrific chance later in the first. Back-to-back feeds created great looks for Podkolzin…one of which sat for a while in the blue paint. Then, drew a power play near the end of the opening frame. The assist was his twentieth point of these playoffs, a feat he has accomplished in consecutive post-seasons. Just missed snapping home a nifty pass by Nugent-Hopkins on the second period PP. A blocked shot and a smart defensive stick on a noticeable shift defending his is own zone. Two shots, three blocks. Tremendous two-way effort.

VASILY PODKOLZIN. 5. Industrious effort. A couple great looks off Draisaitl set-ups in the first.

KASPERI KAPANEN. 5. A lunging swat at a Podkolzin rebound late in the first. Seven hits.

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JAKE WALMAN. 7. Hammered just wide a terrific pass from Leon. Well-timed blocked shot in the first. A keep and pass down low on the 3-0 sequence. A very fine defensive play on Rantanen on the PK then cleared the zone. Three shots, three blocks, two hits in 16:12. Tremendous on the penalty kill.

JOHN KLINGBERG. 5. Gutsy block in front in the second. Chased this one a bit (HDSC’s 4-6 5v5) but generally kept the play to the outside.

ADAM HENRIQUE. 5. A terrific stick saved a sure goal on a pass that was headed back-door. Took an un-called elbow to head in the second but to his credit finished the shift under duress. Solid, veteran effort. Very good on the PK.

EVANDER KANE. 6. Delivered a thundering hit on Bichel in the first. Just missed tipping a Kulak shot home in the second. Sent a pass into the slot for a hard-charging Draisaitl who could not get a handle on it. Good chance off a Nugent-Hopkins feed. Steamed right down the slot and fired a wrist shot, the rebound creating a scramble that eventually gave birth to the 3-0 goal. Another hard wrister early in the third. Levelled five hits in all, kept his cool.

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CONNOR BROWN. 6. A great look early but whiffed on the pass. Tipped a one-hopper past Oettinger for the 3-0.

DARNELL NURSE. 6. Took a totally unnecessary slash early in the third. They reviewed it for a major but settled (correctly) on two. I docked him a full mark for that. Otherwise, he was solid. Three hits and a shot.

TROY STECHER. 7. A highly competitive 15:24. Drew the penalty that preceded the 1-0. Fine defensive play on Granlund part way through the first. Forced Robertson at the blueline then won a race to the puck for a safe PK clear.

MATTIAS JANMARK. 5. Good clear on the PK. Set up Frederic for a near-miss in the second. Hit the post and just missed the tap-in late in the third.

TRENT FREDERIC. 6. Denied of a goal early in the second by a lightning-fast Oettinger toe save. Created a wonderful chance in front for Janmark but the latter could not bury it. Shot block at the buzzer to help preserve the shutout. One of two, plus five hits. His best game of the playoffs.

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COREY PERRY. 5. The veteran took an undisciplined roughing penalty in a scrum, his second in as many games, but his mates killed it off. Redeemed himself somewhat with a lovely feed to Draisaitl for a great chance. Just missed on a good pass from Hyman late in the second. Also docked him a full grade for that penalty.

The series now sits at 1-1 headed back to Edmonton Sunday afternoon.

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.