For the first time since 2006, the Edmonton Oilers will have a chance to advance to the Stanely Cup Final. With their 3-1 last night the Oilers now have the Dallas Stars on the brink of elimination. With their 3-2 series lead the Oilers will have a chance to send the Stars home on Sunday from Rogers Place.
Coming into this series I did predict that the Oilers would win in 6 games, but after the Oilers split at home and watching how back and fourth the games were, I didn't expect any team to win more than 2 in a row. The way the Oilers have handled the Stars the last two games I know I can see it as a possibility. Whatever clicked into place in game 4 for the Oilers has made them look unbeatable.
In the last game and a half the Oilers have been playing their best hockey I have seen them play in a long time. In game 5 the worst possible thing for the Stars took place, the Oilers powerplay figured out how to score. After going scoreless in the series to that point the Oilers scored two powerplay goals last night if you put that with the fact the Oilers haven't allowed a powerplay goal against.
Another sign that the Oilers have turned the corner is the quality and amount of shots that they are giving up. Last night they only gave up a total of 20 shots, and in game 4 they only gave up 22 shots. While Stuart Skinner hasn't had to make many big saves, when he has been called upon to make a save he has stood tall. more importantly, he hasn't let any weak goals in. Letting in a weak goal would suck the momentum away from the Oilers and in this series, momentum has swung like a pendulum.
For the past two games the Oilers have held the momentum, if they want to win this series at home tomorrow then they will need to keep that momentum going. If they are able to play the way they played the past two games then they should be moving on. The Stars are not going to go away without a fight though so the Oilers will need to bring their best to win.