Dallas Stars tie series in game 2 of the Western Conference Playoffs

With 17:41 left in the third period, a tip-in from Mason Marchment broke a 1-1 tie in game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.  Marchment’s second goal of the playoffs was a deflection off of a Ryan Suter shot that had the puck slightly pass through the legs of Oilers’ defenseman Vincent Deshamais and bounce off of the ice with Mason’s timely stick placement. 

The Dallas Stars now tied the series 1 to 1 heading to Edmonton after the Oilers stole game 1 on Thursday with an overtime thriller to take a 1 to 0 lead.  The Stars showed their physicality finishing 31 checks and with disciplined play only allowing 2 power plays for the entire game, Dallas did the dirty work by blocking and deflecting 22 shots that the Oilers sent their way.  Not only was that crucial to the success of the victory, but it helped Stars’ goalie, Jake Oettinger, increase his save percentage to .966 totaling 29 saves in a crucial game that Dallas had to win to split before a critical game 3 on Monday evening in Edmonton.  Stars defenseman, Esa Lindell, netted a wrister into the empty net at the 2:03 mark to ice the game 3 to 1.  The Stanley Cup Playoffs are as unpredictable as they come, and with both the Eastern and Western Conference tied 1 to 1, extended games to a possible 6 or 7 game expectation might become a reality.