McDavid leads Oilers to SCF in Game 6 win over Stars

The Edmonton Oilers pose with the Campbell Conference Bowl after winning the Western Conference championship in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at Rogers Place. Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

The Dallas Stars outshot the Edmonton Oilers 35-10 on Sunday night.

But the Oilers had Connor McDavid and are headed for his first Stanley Cup Final and Edmonton’s first in 18 years.

The Oilers held off the Stars 2-1 at Edmonton’s Rogers Place to take the series four games to two.

Edmonton will face the Florida Panthers in the Cup Final, which begins on Saturday. A Canadian team has not won the Stanley Cup since the Montreal Canadiens in 1993.

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McDavid had a goal and an assist and was also dominant defensively. Stuart Skinner made 34 saves, and 71 of 73 since early in the first period of Game 4. In winning the last three games of the series, the Oilers outscored the Stars 10-2 after falling behind 2-0 early in Game 4.

Specialty teams were a big part of the surge.

Edmonton killed off all 14 of Dallas’ power-play opportunities in the series and has killed off 28 consecutive penalties dating back to Game 3 of the second round against the Vancouver Canucks on May 12.

And in Games 5 and 6, the Oilers scored on four-of-five of their own man-advantage situations.

McDavid, who had points on 10 (three goals and seven assists) of Edmonton’s 17 goals in the series, opened the scoring with a power-play goal 4:16 into the game.

He scored on a backhander after making a forehand move as he skated into the slot from the left-wing circle. It was his fifth goal of the playoffs and came on Edmonton’s first shot of the game.

Zach Hyman added another man-advantage goal with 4:19 left in the first period. He beat Stars goalie Jake Oettinger from the inside edge of the left circle after taking a pass from McDavid. It was Hyman’s playoff-leading 14th goal.

Mason Marchment put the Stars on the board 9:18 into the second period when he put a loose puck into an empty net. It was Marchment’s third goal of the playoffs.

It is the second consecutive season that Dallas has lost in the Western Conference Final. Before falling to the Oilers, the Stars defeated the last two Stanley Cup Champions — the Vegas Golden Knights and Colorado Avalanche — in the first two rounds.