The Edmonton Oilers are one win away from their second straight trip to the Stanley Cup Final, after defeating the Dallas Stars by a score of 4-1 in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final on Tuesday (May 27) to take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven playoff series.
Related: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals Hub
Leon Draisaitl, Adam Henrique, John Klingberg and Corey Perry all scored for the Oilers, while Dallas got its lone goal from forward Jason Robertson. Edmonton netminder Stuart Skinner made 28 saves. Jake Oettinger stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced between the pipes for the Stars.
The game was much closer than the score would suggest, as the Oilers’ last two goals were scored with Oettinger pulled for an extra attacker late in the third period. Edmonton led by a score of 1-0 after 20 minutes and took a 2-1 lead into the second intermission. All three goals scored over the first two periods came with the man advantage.
This was yet another textbook playoff game executed by the Oilers, who have now won 11 of their last 13 games since opening the postseason with a pair of losses to the Los Angeles Kings. Here’s a closer look.
Defence Wins in the Playoffs
The contrast between the Oilers of the moment and the Oilers at the beginning of the playoffs continues to astound: In their first six games of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, they gave up four goals; in their last six games, they have been scored on just eight times.
The Oilers are playing tremendous defensively, and that goes not just for their blueliners but the forward group too. This was the second consecutive game that the Oilers gave up just four shots on goal in the third period while protecting a lead.
Dallas was so stymied at five-on-five that the Stars elected to pull Oettinger for the extra attacker with nearly three minutes remaining in the game despite trailing only by one goal. Kapanen quickly made them pay with an empty-net tally at 17:33 of the third period, followed by Henrique at 19:10.
On the post-Game 4 edition of the Got Yer Back podcast, former Oilers defenceman Jason Strudwick provided a very insightful breakdown of Edmonton’s defensive efforts.
“I have been impressed the last two games with the Oilers’ play in the third,” Strudwick said. “They’re not sitting back, they’re going after them. That doesn’t mean you have to take risks. I want to be clear: you’re not pinching or jumping in for hope plays. You’re above the puck, you’re putting the pucks in areas where you can get it back, and then you’re putting pressure on the other team, whether it’s a forward or a D.”
Skinner Stands Strong
Speaking of incredible contrasts, Skinner was 0-3 with a goals-against average (GAA) of 5.36 and save percentage (SV%) of .817 in his first three starts of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He’s now 5-1 with a 1.15 GAA and .957 SV% over his last six contests.
While his teammates have made sure Skinner doesn’t have to deal with seeing a ton of rubber in the third period, the netminder has been under a lot of pressure earlier in the game. In Game 3 on Sunday, Dallas fired 21 shots on goal in the second period and only had one goal to show for it. On Tuesday, Skinner faced 16 shots in the first period and stopped them all. Skinner’s play in the earlier stages has allowed Edmonton to take the lead and then lock it down.
The notoriously inconsistent netminder is looking an awful lot like the player who backstopped Edmonton all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final last year. Skinner also had a great series against Dallas in last year’s Western Conference Final, going 4-2 with a 1.91 GAA and .922 SV%.
Perry Sticks it to Father Time
Perry, who turned 40 on May 16, made history when he scored at 9:20 of the second period to break a 1-1 tie and put Edmonton ahead to stay.
With that tally, the veteran forward not only became the first player over the age of 40 to score a postseason goal for the Oilers, but also joined an exclusive club of just 10 other players who have notched a game-winning goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Perry is now tied for second on the Oilers this postseason with six goals. He only scored once for Edmonton in the entire 2024 Playoffs.
Concern for Hyman’s Health
Almost no NHL team makes it through a lengthy postseason run without sustaining some injuries, and the Oilers have learned that the hard way these last two games.
Already without winger Connor Brown, who hasn’t played since exiting Game 3 after being bodychecked by Alex Petrovic, Edmonton lost the services of another forward early in Game 4 when Zach Hyman absorbed a hit to the right shoulder from Stars winger Mason Marchment.
Hyman immediately dropped his stick and made a beeline for the Oilers bench where he went down the tunnel to get examined by Edmonton’s training staff and did not return.
In his post-game media availability, Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said that he would not have an update on Hyman’s condition until Wednesday (May 28), although a team source told Tom Gazzola on the Edmonton Sports Talk post-game show that the news is “not good”.
With five goals in 15 games, Hyman hasn’t scored at his usual rate during the 2025 Playoffs, but has made an incredible impact with his physicality: the 32-year-old has racked up 111 hits, the seventh most ever in a single postseason since the NHL started officially tracking hits in 2005-06.
Assuming Hyman is unable to play, the Oilers will likely make one of two lineup moves: dress winger Jeff Skinner, who has been a healthy scratch since playing in Edmonton’s first game of the 2025 Playoffs in Los Angeles more than five weeks ago; or if defenceman Mattias Ekholm is ready to return from his injury that has sidelined him since March, Knoblauch could elect to dress 11 forwards and seven blueliners.
That will just be one of many things to keep an eye on for Game 5, which will take place Thursday (May 29) night at American Airlines Center in Texas. With a victory, the Oilers will become the first Western Conference team to make consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearances since the Detroit Red Wings in 2008 and 2009.
