Connor McDavid tipped Evan Bouchard’s shot from the boards past Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger 32 seconds into the second overtime to give the Edmonton Oilers a 3-2 win in Game 1 of the Western Conference Final..
The play started behind the Stars net when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins shovelled the puck to Bouchard during a scrum with a pair of Stars players, who got it to McDavid, who was waiting in front of Oettinger to deflect it quickly past him blocker side.
Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring 1:36 into the second period at Dallas’s American Air7lines Center, depositing his ninth goal of the playoffs past Oettinger when he picked up the rebound off defenceman Brett Kulak’s shot.
A minute and a half later, Zach Hyman beat Stars defenceman Esa Lindell to an open puck, after a pass from McDavid went off a stick in front of goalie Jake Oettinger to the waiting Oilers winger, who tucked it behind the Stars netminder for his 12th goal of the post-season to put the Oilers up 2-0.
Tyler Seguin scored the Stars’ first goal at 6:11 of the middle frame after jostling with Kulak in the crease, finally getting his stick on the puck to put it past Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner. The scoring play began when Kulak misfired on a breakout pass, with Stars captain Jamie Benn scooping up the puck and going in on Skinner before Seguin outwrestled the defenceman.
Seguin tied it with 3:23 left in the third period, with Jason Robertson’s shot deflecting off Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse’s skate to the wide-open Stars forward waiting on the other side of Skinner to tap it in.
Dylan Holloway had a chance to regain the lead for Edmonton just 30 seconds later after Stars defenceman Thomas Harley whiffed on a pass, with the Oilers winger retrieving the puck for a breakaway, but Oettinger got his pad on the attempt.
McDavid took a four-minute high-sticking penalty 17 seconds into overtime after he clipped Duchene in the mouth.
A Robertson point shot off the post early in the ensuing power play was one of 11 scoring chances, four of them shots, that Dallas generated with McDavid in the penalty box.
McDavid had a chance to win the game at 5:21 of the first overtime with an open net to target, but Stars defenceman Chris Tanev reached across in time to block the puck and deflect it away.
Skinner stopped 31 Stars shots in the win while Oettinger turned away 35 by the Oilers.
