Zach Hyman had two goals and an assist, Connor McDavid also had a two-goal outing and the Edmonton Oilers took a 2-1 lead in their Western Conference Final series with a 6-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Sunday.
Evan Bouchard, with a goal and an assist, and John Klingberg also scored for the Oilers, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins dishing three assists.
Stuart Skinner made 36 saves in the Edmonton net to improve to 4-4 in post-season play, his first victory in the playoffs that wasn’t a shutout.
The Oilers have won two straight since their third-period collapse in Game 1 in Dallas.
Jason Robertson replied for the Stars, who are hoping to avoid being knocked out in the third round by the Oilers for a second consecutive season.
Jake Oettinger stopped 18 shots in Dallas’ net, falling to 5-10 in his career in West final contests.
Edmonton started the scoring with six minutes remaining in the opening period as a Bouchard bomb from the point made its way through traffic for his sixth of the playoffs.
The Oilers then made it 2-0 just 36 seconds later on a 3-on-1 opportunity as Nugent-Hopkins made a return pass to McDavid, who snuck his fourth of the post-season past Oettinger.
Nugent-Hopkins now has multi-point efforts in every game of the series, becoming the only Oiler in franchise history other than Wayne Gretzky with more than one point in the first three games of a conference final.
Dallas has been outscored 9-0 in the first period on the road in this year’s playoffs.
The Stars were the stronger team in the second period and were finally rewarded with 4:25 remaining in the middle frame. Lian Bichsel’s shot hit Robertson and caromed past Skinner for his first of the playoffs.
Edmonton restored its two-goal lead with 19 seconds left in the second as McDavid picked the top corner to score his second of the game.
Dallas outshot Edmonton 21-8 in the second.
The Oilers went up 4-1 just 3:25 into the third after the Stars came close on a couple of scrambly plays in front of the Edmonton net. Nugent-Hopkins sent a long stretch pass to Hyman for a breakaway and he rifled in his fourth.
Edmonton scored yet again with eight minutes to play as Evander Kane chipped a pass over a defender to Hyman and he deflected home his second of the game.
The Oilers added a power-play goal on Klingberg’s first with 2:20 to play.
The Stars were without forward Roope Hintz, who was tied for second in team scoring entering the game. Hintz had to be helped off the ice late in the third period of Game 2 after he was slashed on the top of the left foot by Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse.
The Stars argued that Nurse deserved a five-minute major or suspension, neither of which were forthcoming.
Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm remained out with an injury, but is expected to return and make his playoff debut in the series. Oilers forward Connor Brown suffered an injury in the second period and did not return.
Game 4 takes place on Tuesday in Edmonton.
