Edmonton Oilers vs Dallas Stars: Game 1 preview, predictions and odds | Stanley Cup Playoffs Conference Finals, May 21, 2025

The Edmonton Oilers are on the road to play the Dallas Stars on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals.

Edmonton beat Vegas in five games while Dallas beat Winnipeg in six games.

Oilers vs Stars: Head-to-head & key stats

Edmonton went 1-2 against Dallas this season
The Oilers went 23-16-2 on the road
Dallas went 28-10-3 at home
Edmonton allowed 2.86 goals per game
The Stars allowed 2.7 goals per game
The Oilers averaged 3.15 goals per game
Dallas averaged 3.35 goals per game

Edmonton Oilers vs. Dallas Stars: Preview

Edmonton beat Vegas in five games to cruise to the Western Conference finals. In the playoffs, the Oilers are led by Connor McDavid, who has 17 points, while Leon Draisaitl has 16. Evan Bouchard has 12 points, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has nine and Zach Hyman has eight.

The Oilers will start Stuart Skinner, who went 26-18-4 with a 2.81 GAA and a .896 SV%. In his career against Dallas, he's 3-4 with a 3.42 GAA and a .874 SV%. In the playoffs, Skinner is 2-3 with a 3.95 GAA and a .884 SV%, including back-to-back shutouts.

Dallas, meanwhile, has home ice in the Western Conference finals. The Stars will start Jake Oettinger, who went 36-18-4 with a 2.59 GAA and a .909 SV% in the regular season. In his career against Edmonton, he's 5-3-1 with a 2.80 GAA and a .907 SV%. In the playoffs, he's 8-5 with a 2.47 GAA and a .919 SV%.

In the playoffs, the Stars are led by Mikko Rantanen, who has 19 points in 13 games. Thomas Harley has 11 points and Roope Hintz has 10, while Wyatt Johnston and Mikael Granlund has eight.

Oilers vs Stars: Odds & Prediction

Edmonton is a +105 underdog while Dallas is a -125 favorite, and the over/under is set at 6.5 goals

The Oilers will start Skinner, who was great in the final two games against Vegas, as he got the net back after Calvin Pickard was injured. The Oilers are led by Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, who are two of the best players in the NHL.

However, Dallas has played well at home in the playoffs, and Oettinger is one of the best goalies in the NHL. This should be a close series that likely will go six or seven, but in Game 1, Dallas will get the win at home backed by a stellar Oettinger performance.

Prediction: Stars 3, Oilers 2.

Oilers vs Stars: Betting Tips

Tip 1: Dallas ML (-125)

Tip 2: Under 6.5 goals (-130)

About the author

Cole is an NHL, NFL and College Sports reporter at Sportskeeda with over 7 years of experience writing for publications like CBC, USA Today, SMG, BJPENN, Sherdog and SB Nation.

An NHL fan his whole life, Cole played rep hockey in Canada from age 5 until 17 and grew up rooting for Martin St. Louis and the Tampa Bay Lightning. His all-time favorite players are Vincent Lecavalier and Steven Stamkos, while Jon Cooper is his favorite coach of all time.

Cole attended Sheridan College and received his journalism degree in 2019. After decades of watching and reporting, he considers his knowledge of sports as his primary strength. He ensures that the same story has been reported by at least two reputed reporters before creating it.

Cole enjoys playing golf and spending time with friends and family when not reporting breaking stories. His favorite sports moment is from the 2010 Olympics, when Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal in overtime to beat Team USA for the gold medal.

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Edited by Cole Shelton