Oilers top Stars 2-1 for West title, will play Florida in the Stanley Cup Final
By The Associated Press on June 2, 2024.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) – Connor McDavid had a goal and an assist in the opening period to get Edmonton going, Stuart Skinner stopped 34 shots for his hometown team and the Oilers capped an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Final by beating the Dallas Stars 2-1 on Sunday night. Zach Hyman also scored – like McDavid, on a first-period power play – and Evan Bouchard had two assists for the Oilers, who won the Western Conference in six games and will play for the Cup for the first time since 2006. They’ll be heading to Florida for Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, that series set to open on Saturday night. The Panthers are playing in the title series for the third time, after getting swept by Colorado in 1996 and losing to Vegas in five games last year. Mason Marchment scored midway through the third period and Jake Oettinger stopped eight shots for the Stars, who finished the regular season with the second-best record in the NHL – 113 points, just one behind the New York Rangers in the race for the Presidents’ Trophy. ___ AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL 7-6
