Edmonton Oilers overpower Dallas Stars in Game 4, one victory from Stanley Cup Final return

The Edmonton Oilers are one victory away from returning to the Stanley Cup Final — and they're accomplishing it with power, poise, and a dash of playoff history. With a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Tuesday evening, the Oilers claimed a decisive 3-1 Western Conference Final lead. Corey Perry and Leon Draisaitl both scored a power-play goal and assist, and Stuart Skinner stopped 28 shots in a shut-out effort performance that quieted Dallas for the third consecutive game. 1st Period:Edmonton took advantage quickly on the man advantage when Ryan Nugent-Hopkins setup Leon Draisaitl alone on the wing. Draisaitl buried a one-timer from a tight angle on his 7th of the playoffs. But there was worry — Zach Hyman was shaken out of the game after receiving a big hit at the hands of Dallas' Mason Marchment and did not re-enter. 2nd Period:The Stars finally broke through on their own man advantage. Jason Robertson shot top corner on Skinner for his second in two games to tie it 1-1. Edmonton answered with another power-play goal: a perfect cross-crease feed from Nugent-Hopkins to Corey Perry, who tapped in his 6th playoff goal. The Oilers regained a 2-1 lead and never relinquished it. 3rd Period:Kasperi Kapanen and Adam Henrique capped off the victory with a couple of empty-net scores. The Oilers, who have now outscored the Stars 13-2 since their Game 1 meltdown, kept Dallas scoreless at 5-on-5 for the third consecutive contest. By The Numbers “There are going to be some swings in a series. They’re one of the last four teams standing, so they’re going to have their push, and there’s going to be periods where they control the play. That’s just the way it is,”— Leon Draisaitl on managing momentum swings “For myself, it definitely felt good out there. I’m just trying to give my team the best chance that I possibly can every night,” — Stuart Skinner on his locked-in performance“It’s time to reset again, it’s not over until somebody wins four games. So, now we go on home ice and it’s just one game at a time. I mean, I don’t even think really what the series is, it’s just try to win one game and come back to Alberta,” — Stars forward Mikko Rantanen, trying to spark a responseAlso read: Connor McDavid, Stuart Skinner anchor dominant Game 3 victory by Edmonton Oilers over Dallas StarsThe Stars host their season on life support. The Oilers are one victory away from their first Stanley Cup Final appearance since 2006 — and from the way they're playing, they don't seem interested in cooling off.