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The Edmonton Oilers are one win away from the first Stanley Cup Final of the Connor McDavid era.
The Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars 3-1 on the road Friday night to take a 3-2 Western Conference Finals lead.
Matt Hagy @RealMatty_Ice
Connor McDavid one win away from a Stanley Cup Final. What a time to be alive
18+15=6 @YungBedard98
1 more game Edmonton, Mcdavid’s legacy is on the line
Dilan Esper @dilanesper
I am starting to think this might be McDavid’s, and Canada’s, year. #stanleycup
Edmonton was first on the board thanks to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who scored the first two power-play goals of the series in the first and second period:
Edmonton Oilers @EdmontonOilers
Coach’s favourite puts us on the board 👊 pic.twitter.com/KULTVPsuC5
Nugent-Hopkins’ best performance of the playoffs came after Leon Draisaitl praised him before the game.
“Have you guys ever seen him make a mistake? I really haven’t,” Draisaitl said before the win, per NHL Network. “He’s just such a smart, good hockey player, and I think he’s probably the coach’s favorite player in the world.”
Nugent-Hopkins’ Friday performance led fans to agree with Draisaitl’s assessment:
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce
RNH. AGAIN. 🚨🚨
Nugent-Hopkins doubles down on the power-play. 2-0 Edmonton 🍿 pic.twitter.com/Ch33dPWQaB
OriginalPouzar @coopsie39
To this point, this might be one of the best games Nugent-Hopkins has played – all zones. all situations.
Terence Graw @TerenceGraw
Nugent Hopkins on fire! Great to see him getting rewarded. #LetsGoOilers
Philip Broberg, who was placed on waivers in November and was skating in his second playoff game of the season, contributed to the Oilers’ lead with the first playoff goal of his career.
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce
BRO!! It’s Broberg RIGHT off the faceoff, and it’s 3-0 Oilers in the 2nd period 😱 pic.twitter.com/QZwZqjOrJW
Romulus’ Apotheosis @RomulusNotNuma
Broberg. Pack your bags. You’re never leaving the NHL.
Nahreman Issa @NahremanIssaCTV
Broberg looking like Klefbom out there with that blast from the blueline!!
Tony Brar 🚀 @TonyBrarOTV
Philip Broberg’s has looked noticeably more confident and comfortable in his short stint so far in this series.
Gets rewarded in a big way with his first-ever Stanley Cup Playoff goal. #Oilers
The Stars struggled to get shots on goal early, but tested Edmonton goaltender Stuart Skinner with 10 shots in the third period.
Skinner made nine late saves to preserve the Oilers’ lead.
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce
SKINNER SAYS NO 🚫 pic.twitter.com/RylBY0sC08
Slav Kornik 🇺🇦 @slavkornik
Stuart Skinner with two excellent saves early in the third. different game if those two go in. #yeg #nhl #oilers
Stephen Kerr @smkwriter1
Stuart Skinner hasn’t had to work hard most of the game. But he’s made several big saves late in the second and early in the third, Stankoven’s the latest. #EDMvsDAL #TexasHockey
McDavid meanwhile contributed a secondary assist and led the Oilers with three hits.
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIce
Connor McDavid has been PHYSICAL this series 😤 pic.twitter.com/lfX2JWcZVu
After the 5-2 Game 4 win that tied the series, the Oilers have now outplayed and outshot the Stars for significant portions of the last two games.
That’s in large part because of their depth behind McDavid and Draisaitl:
Shedigginme Picks Them @ShedigginmeeP
Oilers are rolling even with their star players not scoring
Conrad @conradforbis
Oilers depth has been the story of this series. Not the Stars depth.
The Stars, one of the best road teams in the NHL during the regular season, will now need one more win on enemy ice in order to extend their postseason.
The puck drops for Game 6 in Edmonton Sunday at 8 p.m. ET.
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