The 2025 NHL Western Conference Final is officially set: The Dallas Stars will face the Edmonton Oilers. These two strong contenders will clash to determine which team earns the right to represent the Western Conference in the battle for the Stanley Cup.
To prepare you for this exciting next round, we`ve compiled essential details, including their routes to the final, the series schedule, betting odds, leading performers, and key team statistics.
Series Snapshot
Paths to the Conference Final:
- Stars: Advanced by defeating the Avalanche in seven games and the Jets in six.
- Oilers: Reached this stage by overcoming the Kings in six games and the Golden Knights in five.
Series Schedule (All Times ET):
- Game 1: Oilers at Stars | May 21, 8 p.m.
- Game 2: Oilers at Stars | May 23, 8 p.m.
- Game 3: Stars at Oilers | May 25, 3 p.m.
- Game 4: Stars at Oilers | May 27, 8 p.m.
- Game 5: Oilers at Stars | May 29, 8 p.m.
- Game 6: Stars at Oilers | May 31, 8 p.m.
- Game 7: Oilers at Stars | June 2, 8 p.m.
Odds:
- Series Odds: Oilers -120, Stars +100
- Stanley Cup Odds: Oilers +250, Stars +350
Leading Playoff Scorers (entering the series):
- Stars: Mikko Rantanen (9 goals, 10 assists)
- Oilers: Connor McDavid (3 goals, 14 assists)
Matchup Notes
Oilers Insights:
Edmonton is the first Canadian team since 1993-94 to reach back-to-back conference finals. This marks their third appearance in the final four in the last four postseasons (dating back to 2022) and their twelfth trip to the conference final in franchise history, matching the Chicago Blackhawks for most appearances since the 1979-80 season.
Connor McDavid has recorded 17 career points in 10 conference final games, ranking seventh in Oilers history in this round. Both McDavid and Zach Hyman have scored six career goals in conference finals games.
Head Coach Kris Knoblauch is the seventh coach in the NHL`s expansion era (since 1967-68) to guide his team to the final four in each of his first two seasons behind the bench.
Stars Insights:
Dallas advances to their third consecutive conference final, joining an exclusive group of teams in the salary cap era (since 2005-06) to accomplish this feat (Tampa Bay, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit).
Stars coach Peter DeBoer makes his eighth career appearance in a conference final or Stanley Cup semifinal, placing him third among coaches in the expansion era, trailing only Scotty Bowman (16) and Al Arbour (11). DeBoer is also the fourth coach in the expansion era to reach the conference final in each of his first three seasons with a team.
In their regular-season series, the Stars won two of the three matchups against the Oilers, outscoring them 12-9 overall. Jason Robertson (four goals, two assists) and Roope Hintz (goal, five assists) were the top performers for Dallas in those games, each tallying six points.
Mikko Rantanen leads all playoff scorers entering this series with nine goals and 19 points through 13 games. This is a career-high in goals for a single postseason for Rantanen, and he is on pace to potentially eclipse his personal best of 25 points set during the Avalanche`s Cup run in 2022.
Rupert Hartwell