Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars Prediction: Can Jake Oettinger, Stars Take Western Conference Finals Game 1?

Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars Prediction: Can Jake Oettinger, Stars Take Western Conference Finals Game 1?

The Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers meet in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup semi-finals at the American Airlines Center in Texas to decide who will go to the championship series. The Oilers have beat the Canucks and Kings to get here. The Stars have impressively beaten the defending champions, the Golden Knights, and the previous defending champions, the Avalanche, over the last two series.

OILERS VS. STARS GAME 1 DATE, TIME, AND WHERE TO WATCH

• Date: May 23, 2024
• Start Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
• Where to Watch: TNT

EDMONTON OILERS VS. DALLAS STARS GAME 1 PREDICTION

The Stars have had a tough strength of schedule in the postseason and will face another stiff test against Connor McDavid and the high-flying Oilers. They now have the home-ice advantage against the Oilers and will be looking to get to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2020.

This series will be a stiff test for the Oilers. While they are used to being the best offense on the ice, the Dallas Stars technically scored more goals per game during the regular season. The Stars averaged 3.59 goals forced per game, while the Oilers were just slightly behind at 3.56 goals per game. The Oilers faced a much more average offense in round one against the Kings and a slightly better one against the Canucks in round two, but they are now facing a fully healthy team with a goalie that has looked utterly dominant in the playoffs. Jake Oettinger of the Stars has been nothing short of excellent for the last few seasons. He had a 2.72 goals allowed average this year and had a 90% rate. He’s been even better during the playoffs. He has a 91.8% save rate and just 2.09 goals allowed per game on average during the postseason. On the other side, Stuart Skinner has been very hit-or-miss. While he had very similar regular season numbers to Jake Oettinger, he has not been as good in the playoffs. Skinner has just an 88% save rate in the playoffs and 2.87 goals allowed per game. He was even pulled from the starting role for a few games in the Canucks series as the Oilers started Calvin Pickard in net for a few games. Skinner did allow just one goal in Game 6 and two goals in Game 7 of the last series, but the Oiler's defense did a very good job of not allowing as many shots on goal. I do not believe they will be able to do the same thing against the stars. The Stars are a much more balanced team and have much more depth to their lines than the Oilers. The Oilers have one of the most dominant lines in the NHL with Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent Hopkins. However, the Stars are much better outside of the first line and are much better in five-on-five play. The Stars do not give up many penalties, and keeping the Oilers off the power play is the way to beat them. I believe the Stars have the formula to win not only game one, but eventually the entire series.

EDMONTON OILERS VS. DALLAS STARS GAME 1 Pick

Pick: Stars ML -130 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds

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NHL ODDS

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