OILERS LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK IN GAME 2 OF WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

DALLAS — The Oilers had Game 1 in their grip — until they didn’t.

Up 3-1 heading into the third, Edmonton unraveled in a span of six chaotic minutes, surrendering three power-play goals and eventually falling 6-3 to the Dallas Stars in the opener of the Western Conference Final. Now, with Game 2 looming Friday night at American Airlines Center, the mission is redemption.

“We were solid for 40 minutes and then let it slip,” Connor McDavid said after practice Thursday. “When you’ve got a two-goal lead in the third, you can’t take penalties like that — especially against a team that can burn you with the man advantage.”

The collapse marked the first time Edmonton gave up three power-play goals in a single period since 1992. But if there’s one thing this team has shown over the past four seasons — and 12 playoff series — it’s resilience.

“We’ve had our hearts broken before,” said head coach Kris Knoblauch. “But we’re older, tougher, and better now. This group doesn’t fold.”

Knoblauch pointed to the Oilers' recent track record: They bounced back from a gut-wrenching Game 3 loss against Vegas in Round 2 — a game that ended with a Leon Draisaitl own-goal with less than a second on the clock — by blanking the Golden Knights 3-0 the next game. Then they shut the door entirely with a 1-0 overtime win to close out the series.

They did the same in Round 1. After blowing a three-goal lead and losing Game 1 to L.A., they ripped off four straight wins.

“That’s been our identity — showing up when the pressure is at its peak,” McDavid said. “We’re not overreacting. Game 2 is huge, obviously, but we’re not hitting the panic button.”

The Oilers are laser-focused on splitting the series in Dallas before heading back to a wild Rogers Place for Games 3 and 4. According to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, fast starts and relentless pace are key.

“We didn’t ease into Game 1, which is huge. That needs to continue,” he said. “This Dallas team pounces on mistakes, and you have to bring it all game long.”

It’s a familiar situation: last year, Edmonton won Game 1 of the Western Conference Final in double OT on Dallas ice and eventually took the series in six. After falling to Florida in a tight Game 7 of the Cup Final, the hunger’s real — and the margin for error is razor-thin.