The Stanley Cup Playoffs is widely considered one of the hardest professional sports tournaments in the world, with superstars from around the globe chasing 12 wins for a chance of hoisting Lord Stanley.
This year’s WCF showdown will feature the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars, a matchup nearly 10 years in the making according to Oilers General Manager Ken Holland. Holland and Stars GM Jim Nill first met in the 70’s playing Jr hockey in Medicine Hat. Following their playing careers, Holland hired Nill back in 2013 and gave most of the credit to Detroit’s success to Nill’s drafting and roster building.
The Stars on paper have one of the most well rounded rosters in the league with young talent across their lineup including Wyatt Johnston, Jason Robertson and goaltender Jake Oettinger. In addition to the latest youth movement, Dallas has alot of hungry veterans with more than 4,000 total games played looking to win their first cup including Ryan Suter, Joe Pavelski, Matt Duchane and Jamie Benn.
Head Coach for Dallas Peter DeBoer says their veteran core is the heartbeat of their current playoff run.
This is the second West Finals for the Oilers in three seasons and consecutive playoff losses to the eventual Stanley Cup champions. It’s the accepted route to success, the journeys chartered by Tampa and Colorado. This matchup against the Stars will be their toughest test yet throughout a very long road to the cup.
Oilers captain Connor McDavid spoke to media ahead of their Game 1 matchup and says this group has grown alot since their last loss in the conference finals to the Colorado Avalanche.
Oilers Head Coach Kris Knoblauch has had an interesting journey to the WCF, joining the team midway through the season following the firing of Jay Woodcroft. Knoblauch reflected to the media about his opportunity.
The last time Dallas and Edmonton met in the playoffs was back in 2003, resulting in the Stars winning the series in 6 games. Puck drop for game 1 in Dallas is set for 6:30pm.
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