On Tuesday the Edmonton Oilers were made available for a news conference prior to their Western Conference rematch with the Dallas Stars.
Here’s what the Oilers general manager, head coach and star players had to say about the upcoming matchup against the Stars.
Connor McDavid
On difference from last year’s series…
Sports Roundup
“There’s a few different players but in a lot of ways [the series] is very similar. Same coach, same system. Same thing for us, we haven’t changed much, they haven’t changed much. Just gonna be about who has the better couple of weeks here.”
Related:Stars-Oilers predictions: Can Dallas get over WCF hump, return to Stanley Cup Final?
Biggest challenge facing Dallas…
“They’re just so structured. They’re deep. I mean there’s four teams left playing, they’re all gonna be deep. But [Dallas] I think had eight 20-goal scorers. They score by committee, everybody up and down the lineup. [Mikko] Rantanen’s playing great, the goalie’s playing great. They have a tough back end. The list goes on and on of things they do well.
What’s something he learned about Pete DeBoer while playing for him with Canada…
“Yeah I didn’t have any experience with him, he’s a great coach. I understand why his team’s had so much success. He definitely knows what he’s talking about. Very personable, likeable guy. Enjoyed my time with him for sure.”
Oilers GM Stan Bowman
On the team Jim Nill has built…
“Yeah, Jim’s a tremendous general manager, I’ve known him for a long time back to when he was in Detroit with my dad. You knew that one day he would get his chance, and he was very patient, waiting to become a general manager. And now you see the job he’s done here, it’s remarkable the team that he’s built. And he keeps adding new pieces to it, so hats off to him for that.
“Dallas has been a strong team for a number of years and I’m not surprised to see them again here. They can beat you a few different ways, there’s not just one way they succeed. I think at this time of year, you have to have some versatility if you wanna be able to win. Each round’s a little bit different, you try to build of the previous round but each opponent plays a different way. You have to be able to adapt your game and I think Dallas has shown that. It’s gonna be a challenge.”
Related:Jim Nill is the best GM in Dallas. What’s the secret behind his success with the Stars?Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch
On keys vs. Dallas
“We had two great opponents that we had to dig in and battle against and it doesn’t get any easier against Dallas. At this point of the year I think special teams is so important. The teams, everyone’s good right now, there’s no weak teams. And usually the difference is a power play, a power play goal. Especially with the way Dallas has been playing right now, their special teams are really good and we’re gonna have to step it up in that area.”
Scouting Mikko Rantanen…
“Obviously you got a world-class player playing extremely well right now. A player we have to be aware of when he’s on the ice. But we can’t spend too much time and energy focusing on just one player, because Dallas is far from being a one-player team. They have so many scoring threats … So yes, if we do have success we have to keep him in check, but also there’s a lot of guys to watch out for.”
Related:Stars’ Mikko Rantanen, Oilers’ Connor McDavid favorites to win NHL’s Conn Smythe TrophyLeon Draisaitl
Keys for facing a hot Jake Oettinger…
“Just continue to chip away at him. He’s a good goalie, there’s lots of good goalies left playing right now. You’re gonna run into goalies that are feeling themselves. I think it’s a matter of something we’ve done really well in the playoffs, creating confusing, creating havoc in front. He’s obviously been seeing it, but I think we have a lot of guys that are willing to go there, make it dirty for him, make it hard on him. We’ll see.”
Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner
On going head-to-head with Oettinger…
“I think it just creates that competitive battle, you know him and I have both battled against each other for a few years here now, in a position just like this last year. It just brings out that competitive edge. Obviously I wanna play better than him, he wants to play better than me. So at the end of the day we’re probably just gonna end up making each other better, fighting to win the games that we need to.
Meet the physical therapist who helped get an injured Stars roster back to full strength
Roy Nelson is one of many members of the Stars’ medical and training staff that helped players like Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson and Tyler Seguin recover from injuries.
After turbulent end with Stars, John Klingberg’s comeback with Oilers lands in Dallas
Klingberg battled back from hip surgery with Edmonton and now returns to Dallas, where he played for eight seasons, for the conference finals.
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.