McDavid gets the winner in the 2nd OT after Oilers overcome captain's penalty to beat Stars 3-2

DALLAS (AP) — Oilers captain Connor McDavid felt absolutely miserable sitting in the penalty box after he was called for a double-minor penalty only seconds into the first overtime of the Western Conference Final opener.

After his teammates bailed out McDavid with yet another penalty kill, they were mobbing him when he scored only 32 seconds into the second overtime on a tip-in from Evan Bouchard to give Edmonton a 3-2 win over the Dallas Stars on Thursday night.

“It was nice to score an overtime goal," McDavid said. "A big goal.”

Especially after what happened to start overtime.

McDavid and Matt Duchene were skating away from the center circle by each other after the Oilers captain had won the faceoff between the two to open the first overtime period. There wasn’t initially a whistle when Duchene took a stick to the face, though McDavid argued that his stick was being held.

It wasn't until Stars goalie Jake Oettinger secured the puck on a shot by Bouchard to stop the clock 17 seconds into overtime that officials did a replay review. They called a high-stick penalty after seeing that and the blood on Duchene's lower lip.

“My thing was I don’t know what I’m supposed to do there," McDavid said. "I am going forward trying to play the puck. It feels like he’s holding my stick. I didn’t even really feel the high stick at all. I think his face comes down on my stick. Maybe just unlucky, I guess."

As for his time in the penalty box: “Really long. Really, really long. Miserable. Hated every second of it.”

Leon Draisaitl extended his playoff-opening points streak to 13 games with a goal, and Zach Hyman had a goal and an assist for the Oilers. Stuart Skinner stopped 31 shots, nine in the overtime, three nights after they wrapped up their second-round series with a Game 7 victory on the road at Vancouver.

Tyler Seguin had both goals for the Stars, who have lost Game 1 in their last seven playoff series since 2022.

“I think we’ve had some Game 1's where we’ve really been feeling it out and laying a few eggs,” Seguin said. “That wasn’t the case tonight. This was a little different. So, yeah, lot of things to build off of.”

Game 2 is Saturday night.

Dallas was 0 for 3 on power plays in regulation, and called a timeout after three shots and Jason Robertson hitting a post through the first three minutes of that double-minor penalty. But the Stars got only one more shot on net after that before McDavid was out of the penalty box.

McDavid had a chance to end the game with about 5 1/2 minutes left in the first overtime, but his shot was blocked when Oettinger and defenseman Chris Tanev both put their sticks down to keep the puck out of the net. The Oilers captain couldn't be stopped in the second overtime.

"We’re not surprised in here. He’s the best in the world,” Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm said. “He had a good look in the first overtime, too ... By my experience of being here, he doesn’t get denied twice.”

Oettinger had 35 saves.

Seguin tied it at 2 with 3:23 left in the regulation after an active shift when he touched the puck several times before scoring to the open net to the right of Skinner. Evgenii Dadonov was between two defenders on the other side when the puck went off his stick and across the crease.

Edmonton scored first about a minute into the second period when Leon Draisaitl got his ninth goal of the postseason. His shot from just inside the right circle after Brett Kulak’s shot ricocheted off Stars defenseman Esa Lindell.

While not credited with an assist, McDavid helped set up that initial score from behind the net. He fell down and was in a sitting position against the board when he pushed the puck out front, where Hyman got a piece of it before Kulak.

McDavid did get the helper on Hyman’s goal that made it 2-0 about 3 1/2 minutes later. The captain’s backhanded crossing pass hit the stick of Tanev before Hyman took the puck and scored.

Edmonton almost restored its two-goal advantage when Ekholm got a puck past Oettinger with about eight minutes left in the second period, but it bounced off the crossbar.

The Stars got within 2-1 when Jamie Benn, their captain, made a push toward the net that drew out Skinner. With the goalie spread eagle and leaning forward, Benn had a backhander that went behind him and across the crease to Seguin, who poked it through Kulak’s legs.

Including the double-minor in overtime, the Oilers have killed 20 consecutive penalties over five-plus games. They are the best in the league this postseason at 92.5% (37 of 40), after ranking in the middle of the pack during the regular season.

“They’re just so connected. So in sync and skating well,” McDavid said of the Oilers' PK unit. “They have the extra guy, but sometimes you can’t even tell. It’s so fun to watch.”

And quite a relief after being the player in the box.

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL

Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) stands by the net as the Edmonton Oilers celebrate a goal by Zach Hyman (18) during the second period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Stars' Jamie Benn (14) and Edmonton Oilers' Zach Hyman (18) collide while competing for the puck during the second period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) is congratulated for a goal against the Edmonton Oilers during the second period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Stars center Matt Duchene (95) passes the puck next to Edmonton Oilers' Dylan Holloway (55) during the second period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid (97), Leon Draisaitl (29), Evan Bouchard (2) and Brett Kulak (27) celebrate after Draisaitl scored against the Dallas Stars during the second period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchment (27) shoots as Edmonton Oilers' Vincent Desharnais (73) defends during the first period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Edmonton Oilers' Evan Bouchard (2) and Stuart Skinner (74) and Dallas Stars center Radek Faksa (12) watch the puck during the first period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) defends against an airborne puck under pressure from Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchment (27) during the first period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) and Dallas Stars center Joe Pavelski (16) compete for control of the puck during the first period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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 Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Edmonton Oilers center Leon Draisaitl, rear, celebrates after scoring against the Dallas Stars during the second period of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse (25) and goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) eye the puck on a shot by the Dallas Stars during overtime in Game 1 of the NHL hockey Western Conference Stanley Cup playoff finals, Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, center left, gestures toward teammate defenseman Evan Bouchard (2) as teammates left wing Zach Hyman, center right, and center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, top left, look on after McDavid scored the game-winning goal on an assist by Bouchard during the second overtime in Game 1 of the NHL hockey Western Conference Stanley Cup playoff finals against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn, right, looks on as Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid (97) reacts after a ruling against him by the officials during overtime in Game 1 of the NHL hockey Western Conference Stanley Cup playoff finals, Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

Edmonton Oilers players celebrate a game-winning goal by center Connor McDavid, bottom, left, during the second overtime in Game 1 of the NHL hockey Western Conference Stanley Cup playoff finals against the Dallas Stars, Thursday, May 23, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

MINA, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Muslim pilgrims used the early morning hours Monday to perform the second day of the symbolic stoning of the devil, as noontime summer heat caused heatstroke among thousands wrapping up the Hajj pilgrimage.

The final days of the Hajj coincide with Muslims around the world celebrating the Eid al-Adha holiday.

The stoning of the pillars representing the devil takes place in Mina, a desert plain just outside the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. A third stoning is scheduled Tuesday, before the Farewell Tawaf, or circling the cube-shaped Kaaba in Mecca.

The Hajj pilgrimage is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. All Muslims are required to make the five-day Hajj at least once in their lives if they are physically and financially able to do so.

More than 1.83 million Muslims performed Hajj in 2024, slightly less than last year’s figure of 1.84 million, according to Saudi officials.

The Hajj rites largely commemorate the Quran’s accounts of Prophet Ibrahim, his son Prophet Ismail and Ismail’s mother Hajar — or Abraham and Ismael as they are named in the Bible.

The rites have taken place under the soaring summer heat, which is expected to reach 49 degrees Celsius (120 degrees Fahrenheit) in Mecca and the sacred sites in and around the city, according to the Saudi National Center for Metrology.

“Of course, it is something very hard and tiring. The temperature is abnormal compared to the past years and this affects us a lot,” said Ahmed Al-Baradie, an Egyptian pilgrim, after finishing his second symbolic stoning.

More than 2,760 pilgrims suffered from sunstroke and heat stress on Sunday alone at the start of the first round of stoning, according to the Health Ministry. Jordan announced Sunday that 14 Jordanian pilgrims had died from heatstroke.

The number of pilgrims on the roads leading to the pillars Monday morning decreased significantly compared to Sunday.

Carrying an umbrella against the burning sun, Pakistani pilgrim Khoda Bakhch visited the stoning site on Monday morning and planned to return at sunset. “After two or three hours, it (temperature) may be too much," he said.

Security forces, medics and first responders have been deployed in and around Mina, especially on roads and open areas to direct and help pilgrims.

“I am really impressed by the preparations,” Sani Abdullah, a Nigerian, told The Associated Press, adding that he was used to such burning heat in his country. “I have never encountered any problems. Everything is going smoothly.”

Mina is where Muslims believe Ibrahim’s faith was tested when God commanded him to sacrifice his only son Ismail. Ibrahim was prepared to submit to the command, but then God stayed his hand, sparing his son. In the Christian and Jewish versions of the story, Abraham is ordered to kill his other son, Isaac.

The stoning began Sunday, a day after the pilgrims visited the sacred Mount Arafat where they spent their day in worship and reflection. The ritual in Mount Arafat, known as the hill of mercy, is considered the peak of the Hajj pilgrimage.

The pilgrims collected the pebbles, which they have used in the symbolic stoning of pillars, from Muzdalifa, an area located a few kilometers (miles) away from Mount Arafat.

The Hajj is one of the largest religious gatherings on earth. The rituals officially started Friday when the pilgrims moved from Mecca’s Grand Mosque to Mina, then to Mount Arafat. They then return to Mina, where they spend up to three days, each casting seven pebbles at three pillars in a ritual to symbolize the casting away of evil and sin.

While in Mina, the pilgrims visit Mecca to perform a “tawaf,” or circumambulation, which is circling the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque counterclockwise seven times. Then another circumambulation, the Farewell Tawaf, will mark the end of the Hajj as pilgrims prepare to leave the holy city.

Once the Hajj is over, men are expected to shave their heads, and women to snip a lock of hair in a sign of renewal.

Most of the pilgrims then leave Mecca for the city of Medina, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) away, to pray in Prophet Muhammad’s tomb, the Sacred Chamber. The tomb is part of the prophet’s mosque, which is one of the three holiest sites in Islam, along with the Grand Mosque in Mecca and the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.

This year’s Hajj came against the backdrop of the devastating Israel-Hamas war, which pushed the Middle East to the brink of a regional conflict.

The war has killed more than 37,000 Palestinians in the besieged strip, according to Gaza health officials, while hundreds of others have been killed in Israeli operations in the West Bank. It began after Hamas-led militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostage.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip weren’t able to travel to Mecca for the Hajj this year because of the closure of the Rafah crossing in May, when Israel extended its ground offensive to the city on the border with Egypt.

Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Paramedics carry a muslim pilgrim for a medical check after he fell down due to a heat stroke at pillars, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

A pilgrim prepares to cast stones at a pillar in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual Hajj pilgrimage, in Mina near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Muslim pilgrims arrive to cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Paramedics carry a muslim pilgrim for a medical check after he fell down due to a heat stroke at pillars, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)

Muslim pilgrims cast stones at pillars in the symbolic stoning of the devil, the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Masses of pilgrims on Sunday embarked on a symbolic stoning of the devil in Saudi Arabia. The ritual marks the final days of the Hajj, or Islamic pilgrimage, and the start of the Eid al-Adha celebrations for Muslims around the world. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)