"He’s better than Mcdavid" "They're desperate" - NHL fans react to Dallas Stars' decision to play Mavrik Bourque in Game 6 against Oilers

Dallas Stars are making a strategic change for Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers by adding forward Mavrik Bourque to their lineup.

Drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2020, Bourque has had an impressive season in the American Hockey League.

Bourque made his NHL debut on April six against the Chicago Blackhawks, where he logged two shots on goal in just under eleven minutes of ice time.

To make room for Bourque, Ty Dellandrea is expected to be sidelined. Fans reacted on X to the news of Bourque's inclusion in the lineup.

"They're desperate," one fan tweeted.

Another fan expressed high praise:

"He’s better than McDavid."

Some fans are cautiously optimistic about the decision.

"He has good stats but only one NHL game," a fan tweeted.

"No better time than a game 6 with everything on the line to get your NHL playoff debut! Let's go Mav! LET'S GO STARS!!!! Take it back to Dallas," one fan tweeted.

However, not all reactions were positive.

"Hopefully Pavelski is out. Dude has been invisible," one fan tweeted.

"lol, smells of desperation," another fan tweeted.

Edmonton Oilers 3-1 victory over Dallas Stars

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and the Edmonton Oilers secured a 3-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, taking a 3-2 series lead.

Nugent-Hopkins scored twice on power plays, with his first goal coming 18 seconds into a penalty in the first period. His second was 16 seconds into a penalty early in the second period.

“We wanted to make sure that if we only got one, we were going to make it count,” Nugent-Hopkins said after the game.

Stuart Skinner made 19 saves for the Oilers, and Philip Broberg scored the third goal.

“I thought right from start to finish we were dialed in, Everything. Details, a lot of things," McDavid said.

Dallas Stars coach Pete DeBoer acknowledged the Oilers' effective strategy:

“Come out, get two power-play goals early in the game, get the lead and then defend well all night.”

“Stu was just solid. He was square, he was quick, We win 3-1 tonight, and I think that’s a little skewed. I don’t think we were that much better tonight. I think just the fact that Stu had so many big saves gave us a little bit of a cushion and made it look easier than it was for our team,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said.

Game 6 is set for Sunday night in Edmonton.