3 things Dallas Stars did wrong in Game 5 loss

The Dallas Stars dropped the crucial game 5 of their Western Conference Finals series against the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 on Friday.

The Oilers have now taken a 3-2 lead and will look to close out the series on Sunday at home. With the Stars on the brink of elimination, it’s worth looking into what went wrong in game 5. So, here are three things the Dallas Stars got wrong in the game:

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Three things the Dallas Stars got wrong in game 5

#1 The penalty kill failed

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a great night, netting two powerplay tallies. Nugent-Hopkins’ first goal came on a tap-in at the side of the net.

The entire Dallas penalty kill group focused on Leon Draisaitl, who shot on goal, but when the rebound popped loose, none of the Dallas penalty killers picked up Nugent-Hopkins.

His second goal came on an odd-man rush where the Dallas defense completely broke down. Nugent-Hopkins took a pass as he was wide open and buried the shot past Jake Oettinger.

Both powerplay markers showed an uncharacteristic lack of discipline in the Dallas end. Perhaps it was a situation in which two defensive lapses proved costly for the Stars. Nevertheless, the Oilers made Dallas pay for their mistakes.

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#2 Jake Oettinger was not at his best

Jake Oettinger, along with the Rangers’ Igor Shesterkin, have been the best goalies this postseason. However, Oettinger let the Dallas Stars down in game 5. All three goals were saves that Oettinger should have made, especially the Oilers’ third goal.

With the Oilers up 2-0, Philip Broberg’s point shot fluttered through traffic, beating Oettinger on the glove side. Granted, the shot went through considerable traffic in the front of the net, but Oettinger has made those types of saves all postseason.

Unfortunately for Dallas, Oettinger had a rough night, giving up three goals on 26 shots. While he wasn't poor, Oettinger didn’t make key saves when he had to, which has put Dallas on the verge of elimination.

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#3 The offense dried up

Dallas got on the board until the third period. Wyatt Johnston scored his 10th of the postseason to make it a 3-1 contest. While the goal made the final minutes interesting, it wasn’t enough for Dallas to come back.

It’s worth pointing out that the Dallas Stars’ top two centers, Roope Hintz and Matt Duchene, combined for two shots on goal. They were unable to generate much offense, leaving Dallas struggling to find answers to the Oilers’ defensive game.

Edmonton did a good job of locking the game down in the third, ensuring that the Oilers go back home with a chance to clinch a ticket to the Stanley Cup Finals.