The visiting Oilers trail 1-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals heading into Friday's Game 2 clash with the Dallas Stars after surrendering five unanswered third-period goals in the 6-3 opener.

The Edmonton Oilers fell to the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final despite holding a multi-goal lead at one point. Dallas stormed back in

Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) breaks away past Edmonton Oilers defenseman Jake Walman (96) for a goal during the first period in Game 1 of the NHL Western Conference finals on Wednesday, May 21,

The Dallas Stars reeled off a whopping five unanswered goals in the third period of Wednesday's Western Conference Finals matchup against the Edmonton Oilers, erasing a 3-1 deficit to pull off a wild 6-3 victory.

Ekholm has preached, almost from the time he arrived via trade from Nashville in February 2023, that the Oilers need to be more comfortable playing in their own zone and withstanding opponents’ offensive pressure. The Golden Knights had a couple of sustained stints in the Oilers’ end in Game 5; the Oilers essentially gave up nothing.

The Stars needed special teams to be an advantage. While it wasn’t through 40 minutes in Game 1, it was by the time the clock hit zero.