Adam Williams presents his prediction for the NHL match.
The Edmonton Oilers are clinging to hopes of finishing in the top three of the Pacific Division, but key injuries have taken the sting out of their attack. The Dallas Stars, meanwhile, are eyeing top spot in the West and will be desperate to avoid a tricky first-round clash with the Colorado Avalanche.
Edmonton Oilers
The Oilers have won four of their last five, but the picture is misleading — Connor McDavid (26+64) and Leon Draisaitl (49+52) featured in most of those outings. With both stars sidelined, the Oilers are heavily reliant on isolated individual performances. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins produced a hat-trick against the Seattle Kraken, and Jeffrey Skinner chipped in with two goals across three games. Defensively, they remain shaky. Even in wins, they’ve leaked goals: four to the Seattle Kraken (5:4), three to the Winnipeg Jets (3:4 OT), and goaltender Stuart Skinner managed just an 84.4% save percentage in the victories.
Dallas Stars
The Stars are trending up. They’ve collected points in five straight games and posted three wins in that stretch. Their latest outing saw them dispatch the Minnesota Wild with ease (3:0), as Jake Oettinger turned away all 32 shots. The Stars lead the NHL in penalty killing (85%) and sit fourth in the West for goals scored (237). Matt Duchene, in particular, is red-hot — five points in his last five games (2+3).
Edmonton Oilers vs Dallas Stars Prediction
Without their key players, the Edmonton Oilers will struggle and won’t be able to stop the Dallas Stars, who are playing with a lot of momentum. The Stars are undefeated in regulation for their last five games, so they have a great chance to win here.
