2025 NHL playoffs: Preview for Stars-Oilers Game 2 - ESPN

Game 1 of the 2025 Western Conference finals was a reminder to fans of an eternal Stanley Cup playoff truth: Never turn the game off until the final horn.

Trailing 3-1 entering the third period, the Dallas Stars scored five goals en route to a 6-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers.

Can Edmonton push back in Game 2 (8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ESPN+) on Friday? Or will Dallas bring a 2-0 advantage with them to Alberta for the next two games? Here are matchup notes from ESPN Research, as well as betting intel from ESPN BET:

More: Game 1 recap | Grades

Edmonton Oilers at Dallas Stars
Game 2 | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN/ESPN+

After a Game 1 win for the Stars, Dallas is now a -190 favorite to win the series, per ESPN BET, while the Oilers are +160. The Stars' Stanley Cup odds are now +200, while the Oilers' are +350. Mikko Rantanen (+300) has jumped ahead of Connor McDavid (+450) atop the Conn Smythe Trophy odds leaderboard.

Teams to win Game 1 of a best-of-seven series have gone on to win those series 68% of the time in Stanley Cup playoff history. In 2025, those teams have won nine of 12 series (75%).

The Stars scored three power-play goals 5:58 into the third period of Game 1, becoming the second team since 1934 (when goals by type were officially tracked) with three power-play goals in the opening six minutes of a playoff period; along with the New York Rangers in Game 1 of the 2014 conference finals (4:36).

Dallas' five total goals in the third period of Game 1 are the most in the third period of a game in Stars/North Stars franchise history.

Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen now has 13 career multipoint games in the playoffs, tied with Sergei Zubov for the most by a defensemen in franchise history.

Rantanen has 20 points this postseason. It is