Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has never been closer to Stanley Cup since Edmonton Oilers Selected him in 2011 with the No. 1 overall pick.
For the five-time FA Cup winners, this one was even longer.
When Nugent-Hopkins was drafted, Edmonton had failed to make the playoffs for 10 consecutive seasons.
Although the Oilers were considered a cup contender this season, they are 5-12-1 in November and have already changed coaches.
Now, the Oilers return home to Rogers Place on Sunday night for their 100th game of the season with a chance to play the top-seeded Dallas Stars in Game 6 for a spot in the Western Conference Finals.
“The crowd is definitely going to be thrilled. It's going to be lively and exciting,” Nugent-Hopkins said.
“For us, it’s all about controlling our emotions, playing at our level and believing that our level of play is good enough to get the job done.”
Nugent-Hopkins scored two goals in the 3-1 victory, giving the Oilers a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference final.
In Game 4 at home, Edmonton trailed 2-0 after just five and a half minutes before scoring eight goals to win 5-2, tying the game and taking a 3-0 lead Friday night in Dallas.
“Everybody talks about momentum in a series. Momentum changes games. We played two good games,” Oilers captain Connor McDavid said.
“We created one chance to win a big game at home but that's all we did. There's still a lot of work to do.”
The Oilers won their first Cup in 1984 and their fifth in 1990. Their only Stanley Cup Final appearance since then was in 2006, when they lost seven straight games and then missed the playoffs for the next 10 seasons.
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Edmonton went 3-9-1 on the season before coach Jay Woodcroft was fired and replaced by Chris Knoblauch. The Oilers then won 24 of 27 games, including a 16-game winning streak, the longest in the NHL this season.
Dallas is 6-2 on the road in the playoffs this season, and this is the first time they have lost consecutive playoff games since falling 2-0 to Las Vegas in the first round.
The Stars won that series in seven games against last year’s Stanley Cup champions, then needed six more to beat 2022 champion Colorado, which swept Edmonton in the Western Conference final on its way to the title.
“We're a responding team. We're a resilient team. We've been that way all year,” Stars forward Tyler Seguin said.
Or as coach Pete DeBoer put it succinctly: “Well, we're the best road team in the league, in the playoffs and in the regular season. We have to win a road game.”
Hard to get footage
The Stars had just six shots midway through Game 5. In the past three games, they have been limited to four shots or fewer in three periods and just six in two.
“You get to the end of it … you're not going to look pretty every night. You're not going to come out and shoot, create all kinds of chances. We're doing the same thing to them,” DeBoer said after Game 5 of Dallas' 100th game of the season.
“They scored a couple of power-play goals, but didn't have a lot of highlight plays. It was a muddy, tight hockey game.”
Six or Seven
If the Stars fail to extend the series, their season will end in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals for the second consecutive year.
But if they can force a Game 7 draw, it will be their third in two seasons under DeBoer.
Dallas won its previous two Game 7s, including the first-round matchup against Las Vegas, giving DeBoer an 8-0 record against four different teams.
Still special
Before Nugent-Hopkins scored 18 seconds after being fouled in the first period Friday and 16 seconds after being fouled in the second period, the only special teams goal for either team in the series was a short-handed goal by Oilers forward Mattias Janmark in Game 4.
Edmonton has recovered from 25 consecutive fouls in its past nine games, including all 11 against Dallas, five of which came in the series opener.
Accumulate points
Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl both had assists in 66 playoff games entering Friday night, combining for 104 points.
That puts them fifth on the franchise's postseason scoring list, ahead of Hall of Fame player-coach Paul Coffey.
“It’s really remarkable… It’s getting harder and harder to score in the NHL, especially now,” Knoblauch said, noting it’s even harder to score in a tight playoff game.
Nugent-Hopkins became the fourth player to reach 20 points this postseason. The other three were teammates: McDavid (29), Draisaitl (27) and Evan Bouchard (25).
© 2024 The Associated Press
