Los 40 USA
Sign in to commentAPP
spainSPAINchileCHILEcolombiaCOLOMBIAusaUSAmexicoMEXICOlatin usaLATIN USAamericaAMERICA
Other sports

NHL

Nugent-Hopkins leads the Oilers to break the series in Dallas

In the fifth game of the Stanley Cup Western Finals, Edmonton won 3-1 against Dallas as the visiting team, taking a 3-2 lead in the series.

Svetozar Pavlović
Svetozar Pavlovićceletozasveta
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, #93 of the Edmonton Oilers, celebrates with his bench after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period in Game Five of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 31, 2024, in Dallas, Texas.
RICHARD RODRIGUEZAFP

The ongoing final series in both conferences are unfolding remarkably similarly. With an early lead followed by multiple momentum shifts, it’s reminiscent of the Florida and Edmonton series. In the fifth game, Florida managed to take a 3-2 lead in the series, positioning themselves to potentially secure a spot in the grand final in the upcoming home game.

Interestingly, these series highlight that in the NHL playoffs, home-ice advantage may not be as decisive as commonly believed, as evidenced by the prevalence of momentum shifts over home team victories.

DALLAS, TEXAS - MAY 31: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins #93 of the Edmonton Oilers scores a goal past Ty Dellandrea #10 and Jake Oettinger #29 of the Dallas Stars in Game Five of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 31, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Richard Rodriguez / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)
Full screen
DALLAS, TEXAS - MAY 31: Ryan Nugent-Hopkins #93 of the Edmonton Oilers scores a goal past Ty Dellandrea #10 and Jake Oettinger #29 of the Dallas Stars in Game Five of the Western Conference Final of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs at American Airlines Center on May 31, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Richard Rodriguez / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)RICHARD RODRIGUEZAFP

Edmonton’s performance in Texas was mainly out of the ordinary, with Ryan Nugent-Hopkins playing a pivotal role. As a standout player on a team once led by the legendary Wayne Gretzky, Nugent-Hopkins was instrumental in creating a significant initial lead. His goals in the 15th and 22nd minutes brought the score to 2-0, with Swede Philip Broberg extending the lead to 3-0 just four minutes later. This indicated that the Stars would be up against a mighty challenge if they attempted to stage a comeback.

Even though Dallas managed to narrow the score to 3-1 with Johnston’s goal six minutes before the end, there was nothing else that the Texan players could do. The upcoming sixth game in Edmonton gives the Oilers the potential to secure their first appearance in the grand final in 18 years with a victory.