Western Conference Finals Game One: The Impact of Superstars

Game one is in the books. The Edmonton Oilers defeated the Dallas Stars in the first game of the series.  

With the NHL greats' talent on display, the game went into a second overtime.

The deciding goal came from no other than Connor McDavid, scoring the winning point 32 seconds into the second overtime.

The Edmonton Oilers look hungry

Outside of McDavid's winning goal, Leon Draisaitl scored, along with Zach Hyman.

The All-Stars made their presence known in the series-opening game, bringing their A-game to the ice.

McDavid, Draisaitl, and Hyman were the top three forwards for the Oilers this season. As expected, the top three goal scorers showed up for game one.

Yet, it was also the aggressive play from Hyman that set the Oilers apart. Hyman recorded three hits in the night. Evander Kane and Ryan McLeod both had five hits for the night.

Stuart Skinner, the goaltender for the Edmonton Oilers, ended the game with an impressive save percentage of .939.

The Dallas Stars have reasons to be encouraged

Mason Marchment recorded eight hits with 23:05 minutes on the ice.

Tyler Seguin, who managed six shots on goal, was responsible for both scores for the Dallas Stars.

Despite being unable to score, 24-year-old Jason Robertson made two shot attempts during the game, and both were very close to resulting in a goal.  

The Edmonton Oilers concluded the night with 38 shots on goal, compared to the Dallas Stars 33.

If physicality perhaps showed who would become victorious, the Oilers finished with 34 hits to the Stars 30.

Both teams had a relatively strong showing, particularly in terms of defensive play. The goaltenders were challenged, but perhaps endurance played a role, leading to McDavid's winning goal in game one.

The Oilers are dying to win the Stanley Cup. The Stars better come up with a plan to shut down McDavid and Draisaitl.