Edmonton Oilers look to even series with Dallas Stars after fraught final frame in Game 1

The Edmonton Oilers have a straightforward task: Kill or be killed.

The visiting Oilers trail 1-0 in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals heading into Friday's Game 2 clash with the Dallas Stars after surrendering five unanswered third-period goals in the 6-3 opener.

The first three of those final-frame tallies came while the Stars were on the power play, which turned Edmonton's two-goal edge into an insurmountable 4-3 deficit.

"We struggled [on the penalty kill] to start the season and found it again," Oilers forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins said Thursday.

"Last year in the playoffs, it made a huge impact for us positively and we know we can get back there."

The Oilers have surrendered 14 power-play goals in only 12 playoff games.

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Granted, six of those goals came in the first three games of the playoffs when they faced the Los Angeles Kings. While there is some improvement, the penalty-kill woes could become a series-deciding issue if they are not addressed.

The Stars have scored 15 power-play goals during the playoffs, five more than any other team.

That said, the Oilers had a chance to make their mark on a power play of their own shortly after falling behind but failed to find the mark.

"The game got away from us through the kill and then our power play, when you have a chance to tie it, wasn't much better," Edmonton forward Leon Draisaitl said.

"We have to look at it and correct it."

One aspect in Edmonton's favour is its history: The Oilers have won nine series since 2017 and trailed at some point in seven of them.

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"We've been really good in high-pressure situations, high-pressure games," Edmonton