DALLAS (AP) — Mason Marchment and the Dallas Stars were playing with a Game 7 mindset, even though it was only the second game of the Western Conference Final and it took them a bit to really get in that mode.
Jake Oettinger withstood a flurry of shots by Edmonton in the first period after Stars captain Jamie Benn scored on their first shot, and Marchment put them ahead in the third period in a 3-1 victory Saturday night that evened the series.
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DALLAS (AP) — Mason Marchment and the Dallas Stars were playing with a Game 7 mindset, even though it was only the second game of the Western Conference Final and it took them a bit to really get in that mode.
Dallas Stars' Esa Lindell (23), Jake Oettinger, center, and Ryan Suter (20) celebrate after a win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchment, left, and Ty Dellandrea (10) celebrate after Marchment scored against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) falls over Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) on a shot attempt as defenseman Thomas Harley (55) watches during the second period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) falls backward over Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) on a shot-attempt during the second period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner skates back to the net after a media timeout during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid controls the puck during the first period in Game 2 of the team's Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers center Derek Ryan (10) takes control of the puck in front of Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) and Oilers' Evan Bouchard (2) as goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) watches during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchment (27) scores against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) as Oilers' Vincent Desharnais (73) looks on during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchmen, left, and Ty Dellandrea (10) celebrate after Marchment scored against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) as Oilers' Vincent Desharnais (73) looks on during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) watches as Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) takes control of the puck during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (14) celebrates after scoring against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74), as Dylan Holloway (55) and others skate near the goal during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers right wing Connor Brown is congratulated for his goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley (55) slams Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, left, against the boards as they compete for the puck during the second period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars' Sam Steel (18), Mason Marchment, left rear, and Ty Dellandrea (10) celebrate after Marchment scored against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (14), Wyatt Johnston, center, and Thomas Harley, right, celebrate after Benn scored during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
“We’re so close, so it’s just got to be a Game 7 mentality for the rest of this ride here,” Marchment said.
“The first period, for whatever reason, we were tentative. We had talked about playing with the Game 7 mindset, and I think our intentions were in the right place,” Stars coach Pete DeBoer said. “We looked like we were waiting for something to happen. We kind of regrouped at the end of the first. ... I loved the second and third, thought they were excellent.”
Marchment broke a 1-1 tie at 3:41 of the third period when he deflected a shot by Ryan Suter, sending the puck through the legs of defenseman Vincent Deshamais before it bounced on the ice and went between the right arm and body of goalie Stuart Skinner.
Benn also assisted on Esa Lindell’s empty-netter with 2:03 left. Wyatt Johnston had two assists.
Oettinger stopped 28 shots, including 16 in the first period when Dallas was outshot 17-4. He had a reaching glove save on Mattias Ekholm’s shot with about 3 1/2 minutes left, and also gathered in the Edmonton defenseman’s long shot about a half-minute after that.
“Obviously, we had a lot of shots and all that. The second, we took a penalty, gave them some momentum and they kept coming at us a little bit. It wasn’t like we were dominated or anything,” Ekholm said. "Going into the third, you know it’s going to be one of those, it’s a shot from the blue line, it’s a tip, it’s a greasy goal if you will, but they obviously got it."
Marchment scored after Suter, the 39-year-old defenseman whose 1,444 career regular-season games without a Stanley Cup title are the most among active players, shot from against the board just inside the blue line.
“As a defenseman you’re just trying to get pucks down there to your guys. You’re almost shooting at your guys,” Suter said.
This was the seventh consecutive time the Stars went into Game 2 of a best-of-seven playoff series coming off a loss, including all three this postseason. Marchment had last scored in their 4-3 loss to Vegas in the playoff opener April 22, left their Game 2 loss with an undisclosed injury and then missed six games before returning in Game 2 of the second round against Colorado.
“There's not many better feelings than scoring in a playoff game,” Marchment said. “We’ll take that one and ... move on to the next one, right. We’ve got a big game coming up, so worry about that.”
Connor Brown had Edmonton’s goal. Skinner, who had won the previous three games since being sitting two games in the last round, stopped 22 shots.
Game 3 is Monday night in Edmonton, where the Stars won 4-3 in their only trip there this season. That was Nov. 2 during the Oilers’ 3-9-1 start that led to Jay Woodcroft getting fired as coach and replaced by Kris Knoblauch.
The Oilers had gone ahead in this series on Connor McDavid's goal 32 seconds into double overtime for a 3-2 win in Game 1 on Thursday.
Edmonton center Leon Draisaitl was scoreless, ending his playoff-opening points streak ended at 13 games. That was one short of matching Mark Messier's franchise record set in 1988.
The teams traded goals 44 seconds apart early in the first period.
Benn scored on with a wrister from the top of the right circle that flew across the front of Skinner and in the lower left corner of the net 3:39 into the game.
Edmonton got even when Brown scored on a rebound of Cody Ceci's shot after he had initially gotten the puck from Brown. It was Brown's first goal this postseason, and the only other one he has came in 2018 for Toronto against Boston.
That is the only one that got by the busy Oettinger.
“If he doesn’t play the way he does in the first, we’re in a big hole and we might not get out of it,” DeBoer said.
“Jake was unbelievable,” Benn said. "We don’t win that game obviously without Jake tonight.”
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://www.apnews.com/hub/NHL
Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce, center, and others take in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs between the Edmonton Oilers and the Dallas Stars, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars' Esa Lindell (23), Jake Oettinger, center, and Ryan Suter (20) celebrate after a win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchment, left, and Ty Dellandrea (10) celebrate after Marchment scored against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) falls over Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) on a shot attempt as defenseman Thomas Harley (55) watches during the second period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers left wing Zach Hyman (18) falls backward over Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (29) on a shot-attempt during the second period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner skates back to the net after a media timeout during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid controls the puck during the first period in Game 2 of the team's Western Conference finals against the Dallas Stars in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers center Derek Ryan (10) takes control of the puck in front of Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) and Oilers' Evan Bouchard (2) as goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) watches during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchment (27) scores against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) as Oilers' Vincent Desharnais (73) looks on during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Mason Marchmen, left, and Ty Dellandrea (10) celebrate after Marchment scored against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) as Oilers' Vincent Desharnais (73) looks on during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) watches as Dallas Stars center Tyler Seguin (91) takes control of the puck during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (14) celebrates after scoring against Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74), as Dylan Holloway (55) and others skate near the goal during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Edmonton Oilers right wing Connor Brown is congratulated for his goal against the Dallas Stars during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars defenseman Thomas Harley (55) slams Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, left, against the boards as they compete for the puck during the second period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars' Sam Steel (18), Mason Marchment, left rear, and Ty Dellandrea (10) celebrate after Marchment scored against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
Dallas Stars left wing Jamie Benn (14), Wyatt Johnston, center, and Thomas Harley, right, celebrate after Benn scored during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs against the Edmonton Oilers, Saturday, May 25, 2024, in Dallas. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
