The Oilers are back in the Stanley Cup Final: Game 5 grades and a look ahead for both teams

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No matter what happened after that, this was the original sin for Dallas in Game 5. It’s the story of the series: The Stars eventually doing something positive in the process of trying to dig out of their own grave, and frequently ceding momentum right back. Roope Hintz cuts the lead to 3-2 … McDavid scores 2:01 later. Robertson, brilliant again, scores his second of the game to make it 4-3 … Evander Kane bounces a puck off Esa Lindell less than three minutes later to create another two-goal cushion.

The Stars overcame incredible obstacles to reach the Western Conference finals for a third straight season. They eliminated the Avalanche in seven games while missing both Robertson and Miro Heiskanen. They bounced the President’s Trophy-winning Winnipeg Jets in six games.

The kind reading of their demise was that the Stars played well enough to win more than one game, but bad puck luck against a championship-level Edmonton defensive effort in front of Stuart Skinner was their undoing. (And what an incredible third-period team the Oilers have become.) The cynical reading of their elimination is that the Dallas stars didn’t shine with the same magnitude as Edmonton’s, their supporting cast was outplayed and Oettinger bent the knee to Skinner before pulled from the series.

Either reading leads to the same place: One round short of playing for the Stanley Cup, for the third straight year under DeBoer, despite having arguably the best collection of talent in those three postseason runs. How the franchise reacts to this will be fascinating. — Wyshynski

Three Stars of Game 5

1. The “hope killer” Oilers

Edmonton flew out of the gate in Game 5, going up 3-0 in the first period. Then, as Dallas made it a one-goal game, Connor McDavid created a breakaway by out-pacing his marker and scored. After Jason Robertson scored to make it 4-3, Evander Kane banked one in off of Esa Lindell to stiff-arm the Stars. Whenever Dallas had hope, Edmonton found a way to dash it.

Both had two points in the series-clinching Game 5 win. And both now have three postseasons with 25 or more points, tied for fourth-most in NHL history. Only Mark Messier (6), Wayne Gretzky (6), and Jari Kurri (5) have more.

Game 5 was Skinner’s second career playoff game, drawing in with Zach Hyman out. He’s the only NHL player to play 1,000 NHL games before making his postseason debut. He scored his first career postseason goal to make it 3-0 in the first period. What a moment! — Arda Öcal

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Jeff Skinner nets Oilers’ third goal of first period

Jeff Skinner’s goal gives the Oilers a quick 3-0 lead in the first period.

Big questions

How will Zach Hyman’s absence impact Edmonton in a Cup Final against Florida?

The Panthers play a physical game. Hyman was (or, still is) the playoffs’ hit leader (with 111 in 15 games). He was also one of their most productive forwards, skating alongside McDavid and contributed to both special teams.

Make no mistake, just because Edmonton cruised along without him in Game 5 against Dallas doesn’t discount the hole Hyman will leave when the Oilers are squaring off against the Panthers. Hyman had two goals and four points in the Cup Final last year, and he was even better production-wise in these playoffs than last.

Kris Knoblauch put Skinner in for Game 5 and that worked well enough, but will he remain the best option for Edmonton going into Game 1 versus Florida? Especially knowing the Panthers are a different type of team compared to the Stars?

The Cup Final is a series where Hyman’s particular set of skills would have been a game-changer. But he won’t be available, and how the Oilers adjust will be critical to whether they come away with a different result than 12 months ago. — Shilton

Is this the end for Pete DeBoer in Dallas?

When DeBoer was hired in 2022 to replace Rick Bowness, he reportedly signed a four-year contract. He coached the Stars to three straight Western Conference finals in his first three seasons in Dallas.

The knock on DeBoer has been an inability to get his teams over the hump. He coached the New Jersey Devils (2012) and San Jose Sharks (2016) to the Stanley Cup Final, but failed to win the championship in either trip. Since 2018-19, DeBoer has lost in the Western Conference final six times in eight years.

Again, it’s hard to argue with the regular-season success (.665 points percentage, his best with any of the five teams he’s coached) or the fact his teams have made three straight conference finals. But they’ve bumped their heads against the ceiling three times.

He couldn’t find a way to unlock them in the conference final this time. His pulling of Oettinger in the first will be a subject of debate.

The ultimate question for GM Jim Nill: Is there another coach that could get more from Dallas, or do they run it back with DeBoer and several roster tweaks? — Wyshynski