How Oilers reached Stanley Cup Final

The Edmonton Oilers are in the Stanley Cup Final for the eighth time in franchise history and first since 2006.

Edmonton booked its trip with a 2-1 victory against the Dallas Stars in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final on Sunday, winning the best-of-7 series 4-2.

The Oilers will play the Florida Panthers in the Cup Final; Game 1 is Saturday at Amerant Bank Arena (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC). Florida reached the Final for the second straight season after defeating the New York Rangers in six games in the Eastern Conference Final.

Edmonton has not won the Stanley Cup since 1990.

Although they were considered championship contenders heading into the 2023-24 NHL season, the Oilers’ road to the Final was unconventional.

Edmonton got off to a 2-9-1 start and fell into a tie for last place in the NHL standings on Nov. 9. The Oilers made a coaching change three days later, hiring Kris Knoblauch to take over for Jay Woodcroft. Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Paul Coffey joined Knoblauch as an assistant.

With Knoblauch as coach, Edmonton went 46-18-5, which included a 16-game winning streak, one shy of the all-time record set by the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992-93.

The Oilers (49-27-6) finished second in the Pacific Division, five points behind the Vancouver Canucks. They eliminated the Los Angeles Kings (five games) and Canucks (seven games) in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, then defeated the Dallas Stars in six games in the conference final.

It was the eighth conference title for Edmonton, which has won the Stanley Cup five times (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990).

Here are some of the highlights for the Oilers on the road to the Stanley Cup Final:

BEST MOMENT: Connor McDavid scored 32 seconds into double overtime in Game 1 against the Stars after sitting in the penalty box for four minutes early in the first overtime for high-sticking. The Oilers were able to kill the penalty, and McDavid went on to redirect a pass from Evan Bouchard on his first shift in the second OT. McDavid had missed a glorious chance to win the game at 14:39 of the first overtime but hesitated in front of an open net and was stopped by Stars goalie Jake Oettinger, who dove across the net to get his stick on the shot.

TURNING POINT: Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner was pulled after two periods of a 4-3 loss to the Canucks in Game 3 of the second round and did not play Games 4 and 5, replaced by Calvin Pickard. Skinner returned for Game 6 with the Oilers facing elimination and made 14 saves in a 5-1 win to force Game 7. Skinner made 15 saves in Game 7, helping hold off the Canucks late in the third period after Vancouver scored twice to cut a three-goal deficit to 3-2. Despite some tense moments, the Oilers were able to hang on for the win and advanced to the conference final for the second time in three seasons.

BEST MOVES MADE: Knoblauch took a chance and made three lineup changes for Game 4 against the Stars in the conference final, when they trailed 2-1 in the best-of-7 series. Forwards Corey Perry and Ryan McLeod replaced Warren Foegele and Sam Carrick, and defenseman Philip Broberg, who had yet to play this postseason, entered for Vincent Desharnais. The moves paid off; Edmonton overcame an early 2-0 deficit to win 5-2 and tied the series 2-2. With Perry, McLeod and Broberg still in the lineup, the Oilers won Games 5 and 6 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final.

BEST MOVES NOT MADE: Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse struggled in the second round against the Canucks, and it appeared Knoblauch might scratch the veteran and allow him to reset, as he did with Skinner and Perry. Despite having just two assists and being minus-12 through the first 15 games of the playoffs, Knoblauch kept Nurse in the lineup, and he was a factor is the final three games of the series defensively and as a physical presence. Nurse played a key role in neutralizing the Stars’ speedy forwards, helping limit Dallas to four goals over the last three games.

SIGNATURE WIN (REGULAR SEASON): It appeared the season was going to spiral away from the Oilers after they dropped the first three of a four-game road trip, which included losses at the Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes. The Oilers concluded the road trip at the Washington Capitals on Nov. 24 and played their best game of the season to that point, winning 5-0. The victory was the springboard Edmonton needed; it went on to win eight games in a row to get to 13-12-1 on the season to climb out of a deep hole. Three games after the eight-game winning streak, the Oilers put together a 16-game run to get back in playoff position.

SIGNATURE WIN (PLAYOFFS): Facing elimination in the second round against the Canucks, the Oilers played their best game of the postseason to that point, a 5-1 win in Game 6. Edmonton outshot Vancouver 27-15 and set up a deciding Game 7. Edmonton followed it up with another strong effort, building a three-goal lead and holding on for a 3-2 win to advance to the conference final.

MVP: McDavid has put his team on his back when needed most and willed it to victory. The Oilers captain leads the NHL this postseason with 31 points (five goals, 26 assists) in 18 games. He scored a highlight-reel goal in Game 6 against the Stars, working his way around defenseman Miro Heiskanen before lifting a backhand over the shoulder of Oettinger. McDavid then set up Zach Hyman for the winning goal in the 2-1 victory. McDavid has been a leader on and off the ice and will be playing in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time.

BIGGEST SURPRISE: Bouchard is having an outstanding postseason; he has 27 points (six goals, 21 assists) and is plus-14 in 18 games. He is averaging 24:33 of ice time per game on Edmonton’s top defense pair alongside Mattias Ekholm. He outplayed Kings star defenseman Drew Doughty in the opening round, Norris Trophy nominee Quinn Hughes of the Canucks in the second round and Heiskanen in the conference final. The Oilers had high expectations for Bouchard when they selected him No. 10 in the 2018 NHL Draft, but not even they could envision he would make such an impact in his third full season.