After a series of high scoring games, Game 5 in Vegas may not have been full of highlight reel plays but it matched the high intensity play that we saw from all the prior games. At the end of the day it was the obvious candidate; Kasperi Kapanen, claimed off waivers from the Blues that scored the OT winner to propel Edmonton back into the Western Conference Finals.

Now the Edmonton Oilers have much needed time off to rest their wounds and prepare for either the Stars or Jets. We know Draisaitl has not been himself throughout these playoffs. Giving him rest time is crucial. We also now know from coach Kris Knoblauch that while he does not expect Ekholm to play on the road (series will start on the road regardless of who wins) that he will likely be an option for Game 3 at home. At the start of these playoffs, thinking about when Ekholm was going to return seemed like a pipe dream - having arguably the team's best defensive defender back on top of a lineup that has been clicking from top to bottom is a huge boost.

Onto Stuart Skinner who after an ugly start to the post season and a slightly controversial return in Game 3, rewarded his team with two straight shutouts. The whole Oilers team in front of Skinner played far better in Game 4 and 5 which allowed for Skinner to not have to play at a frantic rate which we have seen him get into trouble with in the past. Skinner's playoff record only gets better as series go on.

Now we wait on the Stars and the Jets, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. The Stars are certainly the deeper team from top to bottom and Oettinger has been close to lights out throughout the playoffs. The Stars also have Rantanen who has been phenomenal since late into the Avs series. If the Stars and Oilers play I believe it's the first time in the McDavid era where the Oilers will play a team with a player producing more in the playoffs than #97.

The Stars biggest weaknesses I would argue are their D core after Heiskanen and Harley and while impressive depth, the Oilers have 16 different goalscorers to the Stars 11.

For the Jets, Hellebuyck is a strength and weakness in these playoffs. At home he is nearly unbeatable but on the road it's a bizarre other story. There is also the question of injuries with the likes of Scheifele and Morrissey playing but clearly not at 100%.

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For now we wait and see how the remaining playoff series conclude.

Thanks for reading.

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