McDavid and Oilers going back to
Stanley Cup Final after 6-3 win over Stars in Game 5
[May 30, 2025]
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
DALLAS (AP) — Connor McDavid had the breakaway goal that swung the
momentum back to the Edmonton Oilers, and their captain happily
touched the trophy they got after wrapping up another Western
Conference title.
McDavid got that big goal in the second period after an earlier
assist, 40-year-old Corey Perry scored again and the Oilers are
going to their second Stanley Cup Final in a row after beating the
Dallas Stars 6-3 on Thursday night in Game 5 to wrap up the West
final.
When McDavid accepted the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, he gladly put
his hands on it this time.
“It’s pretty obvious I think,” McDavid said about what was different
from the end of last year's West final. “Don’t touch it last year,
you don’t win. Touch it this year, hopefully we win.”
Edmonton scored on its first two shots, and jumped ahead 3-0 in the
first 8:07 on way to eliminating the Stars in the West final for the
second year in a row.
The Oilers get another rematch, against defending Stanley Cup
champion Florida after a seven-game series last June after the
Panthers had won the first three games. Game 1 is Wednesday night in
Edmonton.
Dallas was within a goal when Thomas Harley had a one-timer blocked
by Mattias Ekholm, the Oilers defenseman playing for the first time
this postseason. McDavid gathered the long ricochet well past center
ice, stayed ahead of speedy Roope Hintz and beat goalie Casey
DeSmith with 5:32 left in the second period.

“That’s a Connor McDavid kind of play and that’s just the player he
is,” Perry said.
Mattias Janmark, Jeff Skinner, Evander Kane and Kasperi Kapanen also
scored for Edmonton, the last an empty-netter in the closing
seconds. Leon Draisaitl and Jake Walman each had two assists.
Jason Robertson scored twice and Hintz had a goal for the Stars, who
ended their season in the West final for the third year in a row.
Wyatt Johnston and Harley each had two assists.
“You’ve got to keep knocking on the door," Stars coach Pete DeBoer
said. “We chased every single game in this series and that’s a tough
way to play hockey against that team. It was the story of the entire
series, but the fourth goal, Connor’s goal ... puck bounces into the
neutral zone, he’s coming off the bench, he’s not missing that. It’s
game over.”
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Edmonton Oilers right wing Corey Perry, right, celebrates with
center Connor McDavid after scoring during the first period of Game
5 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup
playoffs, Thursday, May 29, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Gareth
Patterson)

DeSmith had taken over in net after starting goalie
Jake Oettinger was pulled following Janmark’s goal that made it 2-0
only 7:09 into the game.
Edmonton goalie Stuart Skinner had 14 saves. DeSmith, who hadn’t
played since April 26 in Game 1 of the first round against Colorado,
stopped 17 of 20 shots.
Perry scored on a power play, assisted by McDavid and Draisaitl,
only 2:31 in the game. His seven goals are the most by any player
age 39 or older in a single postseason, and the 2007 Stanley Cup
champion with Anaheim when he was 22 is now going to his fifth Final
in the past six seasons.
That was McDavid’s 100th assist in 90 playoff games, the
second-fastest player in NHL history to reach that mark. Wayne
Gretzky had 100 assists in his first 70 playoff games, and no other
player has reached the mark in fewer than 125 games.
Robertson scored a minute into the third period to get the Stars
within a goal again. Kane then scored on a shot that went off the
skate of Dallas defenseman Esa Lindell and past DeSmith.
Jeff Skinner, the 33-year-old forward who has played 1,078
regular-season games over 15 years with three teams, scored his
first career postseason goal for the 3-0 lead. His playoff debut was
in the first-round opener against Los Angeles on April 21, but he
didn’t play again until Thursday when the Oilers were without
injured forwards Zach Hyman and Connor Brown.
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