Welp, the Edmonton Oilers walked into Game 1 with swagger… and walked out wondering what hit ’em. Dallas was like, ‘Not today, boys,’ and flipped the whole script in that electric third period. Down by two, the Stars came out blazing; Heiskanen kicked things off with a laser from the blue line, Granlund followed with a snipe to tie it, and then Duchene sealed the mood shift with a rebound goal that screamed pure playoff grit. Oh, and Seguin? Dude showed up big-time with two beauties and a helper. By the time Lindell’s coast-to-coast empty-netter slid in, the crowd was losing it. That’s five goals in one wild third, a playoff first for Dallas, and man, did it feel personal.

Meanwhile, the Edmonton Oilers were caught sleepwalking in crunch time. After owning most of the game, Edmonton just couldn’t handle the wave once Dallas turned up the juice. Stuart Skinner, who had shut down Vegas not long ago, looked like he ran out of magic as five slipped past. McDavid and Draisaitl did what they could, but that third-period collapse? Yikes. And now the Stars are up 1-0, riding a seven-game home win streak, and the Oilers are left back at the drawing board, trying to figure out how to not let it slip again come Friday night. And now, Coach had to face the music post-game, and let’s just say the vibes were brutally honest.

When the lights dimmed and the mics came on, Edmonton Oilers’ Coach Kris Knoblauch didn’t dodge the heat. A reporter hit him with, “Just when you think maybe you got it figured out… this happens,” and Knoblauch nodded like he’d felt that punch before. He admitted, “Oh yeah, you always think you figured it out and then you get humbled in a hurry.” No dressing it up; just straight-up playoff truth. He reminded everyone that they never expected a cakewalk, saying, “Did we think we were going to come in here and win four in a row against this team? Absolutely not.” They knew it was gonna be a grind. For a minute, the 3-1 lead had them riding high, but then? “In the third period, things didn’t go our way.” And that’s how quickly the tide turned.

But even with that wave crashing down, Knoblauch kept the bigger picture in view. “We just got to put that one behind us,” he said calmly. Whether it was a 6-3 stinger, a shutout, or an OT thriller, he made it clear: “It all means the same.” No panic, no drama. Just a coach talking playoff survival. He ended with a rally cry for his squad: “We’ll just have to recover and have a good start to the next.” And just like that, the Edmonton Oilers’ mindset reset, because in hockey, there’s always another drop of the puck.

Before the puck even dropped in Game 1, the Oilers were already sizing up the storm, trying to figure out how to dodge those Dallas daggers. Jake Walman was on alert, especially for Rantanen, saying, “Knowing where a guy like him is on the ice, he can kinda get lost.” He talked about staying sharp and keeping the puck glued to their sticks as much as possible. And Kane? Oh, he kept it real simple with his game plan: “Play big, powerful, and skilled.” The man was ready for the grind; healthy this time around and hungry to make every shift count.

Hyman echoed the same no-fear energy, especially when it comes to crashing that crease: “Just get in front, nobody likes a screen.” Oilers weren’t just showing up; they were planning to shake up. But, yikes… after all that hype and high hopes, it all came crashing down with a big fat L. The Oilers took the hit, and yeah, the loss stung. And after that tough Game 1 tumble, the Oilers didn’t just skate off in silence; they had a few things to get off their chest.

Edmonton Oilers’ stars make a confession about the loss

The Oilers had it going… until the third hit like a runaway freight train. Stuart Skinner didn’t hold back after the loss. “Obviously, we let down our guard for five or six minutes,” he said, pointing to that penalty storm that flipped everything. “Momentum kind of shifted for them… and obviously it bit us.” That three-goal stretch? “Tough pill to swallow.” But he’s not ready to fold. “We’ve done it many, many times, and we’ll get back at it for sure.”

Darnell Nurse came in with that straight-up grit. “We have to kill better, it’s as simple as that,” he said, not sugarcoating a thing. The PK didn’t hold, and he knows it. Missed clears, missed blocks, and a power play that couldn’t punch back. “Whatever play has to be made on the PK, we have to make it. And we didn’t do that enough tonight.” Period.

Coach Knoblauch called it from the bench—special teams were always gonna be the battlefield. “Them getting three in the third… that changes things.” And when the game was hanging in the balance, “our power play wasn’t much better,” as Leon Draisaitl bluntly put it. So now, it’s back to the drawing board—but this crew’s been here before, and they’re not backing down just yet.