FILE - Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) works to get the puck past Dallas Stars center Wyatt Johnston (53) during the first period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez, File) AP

Mattias Ekholm missed the first two series of the Oilers' playoff run with an injury, but will he return for Game 1 vs. the Stars?

DALLAS – The Edmonton Oilers suffered a dispiriting loss in Game 1 of the Western Conference final on Wednesday, in which they fell apart in the third period, mostly because of their inability to kill penalties. As bad as that 6-3 defeat was to the Dallas Stars, how much does it really matter?

Dallas and Edmonton aren’t exactly geographic rivals, but that doesn’t mean these two teams don’t have a rich history.

The Oilers scored the lone goal of Game 5 in overtime to claim victory and end their second-round clash with the Golden Knights.

The Stars didn't need to rely on Mikko Rantanen (or Jake Oettinger) to carry them to victory — and that's good news for Dallas.