Oilers get even with 3-0 win over Stars in Game 2 of the West final

DALLAS (AP) — Stuart Skinner and the Edmonton Oilers bounced back again, and go home even in the Western Conference final.

Skinner made 25 saves for his third shutout of the postseason, two nights after giving up five goals, Connor Brown scored after getting hit in the mouth by a skate and the Oilers beat the Dallas Stars 3-0 in Game 2 on Friday night.

“We've shown it for many years now, just perseverance from our team, maturity, just the way that we do respond,” Skinner said. “Like I said at the beginning of playoffs, it’s a roller coaster. There’s a lot of highs, lots of lows. Sometimes the score doesn’t always tell everybody exactly how the game unfolded.”

These Oilers overcame a 0-2 deficit in their first-round series against the Los Angeles Kings that cost Skinner his starting job before Calvin Pickard then got hurt.

And then there is Brown, who was bleeding after getting hit ny the toe of Mikael Granlund’s skate when the Stars forward fell down by him near the boards early in the second period.

Brown put the Oilers up 3-0 with 4:37 left in the second period, just 1:13 after defenseman Brett Kulak’s first goal in 36 games since Feb. 27.

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins had a power-play goal in the first period for the Oilers, who go home for Game 3 on Sunday.

“One thing I did notice was the amount of battles we won and the amount of blocked shots,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “That’s just determination and knowing how important the game was tonight that we almost had to walk away with a victory.”

Skinner has four career playoff shutouts. He closed out the second round with consecutive shutouts against Vegas before giving up five goals on 27 shots in the 6-3 loss to opened the series against the Stars.

Dallas' Jake Oettinger stopped 22 shots.

Stars forward Roope Hintz left the ice without putting any weight on his left leg after Edmonton defender Darnell Nurse slashed him on top of his left skate early in the third. Hintz went down to the ice in front of the Edmonton net, and immediately reached toward his foot. Nurse was given a minor penalty for slashing after officials reviewed for a potential major penalty.

Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said he had no update on the injury to Hintz, but certainly questioned the decision by officials.

“Does anyone in this room think if Connor McDavid gets carried off the ice like that it’s not a five-minute major?,” DeBoer responded when asked about the play.

Nugent-Hopkins, who also had the primary assist on Brown's goal, put the Oilers ahead to stay 5:51 into the game when had a tip-in Evan Bouchard's shot from above the right circle that was wobbling toward the net after going off the stick of Hintz. Edmonton had the man advantage after a boarding penalty against Granlund.

It was the second game in a row that Nugent-Hopkins had a power-play goal. He had two in a Game 4 win last year when the Oilers went on to beat Dallas in six games in the West final.

Leon Draisaitl had the secondary assist on that goal, and Connor McDavid had a helper on the Kulak's goal when his initial shot was blocked by Mikko Rantanen before getting it right back. That pushed Draisaitl and McDavid, 100-point scorers during the regular season, to 20 points in these playoffs — matching Rantanen for the NHL high.

It is the fourth 20-point postseason in a row for McDavid, matching the longest stretch in NHL history with Sergei Fedorov (1995-1998), Bryan Trottier (1980-1983) and Mike Bossy (1980-1983). Draisaitl hit the 20-point mark for the second year in a row.

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

Edmonton Oilers right wing Vasily Podkolzin (92) and Dallas Stars defenseman Lian Bichsel (6) have to be restrained by linesmen Devin Berg (87) and Bevan Mills (53) during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) defends the goal against Dallas Stars center Mikael Granlund (64) during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs Friday, May 23, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Edmonton Oilers right wing Connor Brown reacts after scoring a goal against the Dallas Stars during the second period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Edmonton Oilers center Ryan Nugent-Hopkins (93) celebrates after his goal with teammate Zach Hyman (18) during the first period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs against the Dallas Stars, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner (74) gathers with teammates, from left defenseman Evan Bouchard, defenseman John Klingberg (36) and left wing Evander Kane (91) following a 3-0 win over the Dallas Stars in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

Edmonton Oilers goaltender Stuart Skinner makes a save against the Dallas Stars during the third period in Game 2 of the Western Conference finals in the NHL hockey Stanley Cup playoffs, Friday, May 23, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

MOSCOW (AP) — The young journalist in a red bow tie stood during President Vladimir Putin's annual news conference Friday and displayed a sign saying he wanted to get married. But his main question wasn't directed at Putin — it was to his girlfriend, Olga, proposing marriage.

Putin complimented Kirill Bazhanov of Yekaterinburg’s Channel 4 on his snazzy tie, saying, "You’re ready to go to the registry office!” Bazhanov told Putin “we’d be very glad to see you at the wedding.”

The Russian leader’s year-end media session had serious questions, of course, about late pension payments, construction projects gone wrong, and the fighting in Ukraine, where Putin sent troops nearly four years ago.

But every year — amid the weighty questions from the domestic and international media — there are also odd and lighter moments, like this year when people asked Putin what his license plate number was and whether love at first sight existed.

It’s all part of the spectacle of the tightly orchestrated event — an opportunity for Putin, who has ruled Russia fore 25 years, to expound on a wide array of subjects as well as to burnish his image as a fatherly figure to address the concerns of ordinary Russians who submit questions in advance.

Bazhanov did actually have a question for Putin — about greater support for young families. Later in the 4 1/2-hour news conference, one of the anchors passed along the news that Bazhanov's girlfriend had said yes. Putin promptly quipped about collecting money for the wedding.

For those inside Moscow’s Gostinny Dvor amphitheater, the most important task was to get Putin's attention. Most brought signs and some wore national dress. One reporter brought a clutch of Labubu dolls personalized to look like Russian officials and one in the form of U.S. President Donald Trump.

One reporter asked whether a comet approaching Earth could be a UFO, and reassured Putin that the city of Tyumen would be ready to welcome any extraterrestrial guests.

Putin seemed unfazed throughout, although Tajik journalist Shamsudin Boboyev caused a brief commotion when he tried to give Putin a book. Two security officials quickly stopped him from going onstage, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov suggested Boboyev should simply describe the gift, which would be given to him later.

Toward the end of the session, a journalist who noted that Putin had said earlier he believed in love at first sight asked him if he was in love. The Russian leader, whose private life remains closely guarded, answered simply, “Yes.”

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Davies reported from Manchester, England.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, thanks a group of volunteers who worked preparing his call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, thanks a group of volunteers who worked preparing his call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

A TV assistant attaches a microphone to Russian President Vladimir Putin's suit prior to his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a journalist's question during his annual news conference and call-in show at Gostinny Dvor, in Moscow, on Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)