May 31, 2024 by Bob Schmidt

The winner of Game 5 of an NHL playoff series goes on to win the series 78.8% of the time according to Hockey Reference. Game 5 of the Western Conference finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars takes place on Friday night with the series tied at two games apiece. That got me wondering how my beloved Oilers have fared in previous Game 5’s in Western Conference Finals since their inaugural NHL season in 1979-80. Let’s take a look, shall we?

1985

Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks

The Oilers had made the Clarence Campbell Conference Final in the previous two seasons, but they swept the Blackhawks (1983) and the Minnesota North Stars (1984) in four striaght games in those series. May 14, 1985 would be their first Conference Final Game 5 opportunity for the Oilers franchise. The Oilers had won the first two games of the series on home ice in dominant fashion with 11-2 and 7-3 victories. The Hawks made a series out of it by winning the next two games back in Chicago by scores of 5-2 and 8-6, thus tying the series. That brings us to Game 5. On the strength of Paul Coffey’s six points (1G, 5A), Jari Kurri’s hat trick for a five-point night, and Wayne Gretzky’s four points (2G, 2A), the Oilers rolled out a dominant 10-5 win in a penalty filled affair that saw the two teams combine for 142 penalty minutes. They would go on to win the series in the sixth game and ultimately win their second Stanley Cup.

1987

Opponent: Detroit Red Wings

The Red Wings surprised the Oilers by taking Game 1 on Edmonton ice by a score of 3-1. The Oilers regrouped and won the next three games and returned to Alberta for Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead. At this point, the momentum that Edmonton had built up was insurmountable for Steve Yzerman and his Red Wings. Thanks to a five-assist night from Glenn Anderson, a four-point night (2G, 2A) from Kent Nilsson, and an additional two goals from Mark Messier, the Oilers closed off the series with a 6-3 win in Game 5. They would ultimately go on to win their third Stanley Cup in their last four seasons.

1988

Opponent: Detroit Red Wings

In a rematch of the Campbell Conference Final of the previous season, the defending Stanley Cup champions took a 3-1 series lead after defeating Detroit 4-3 in Game 4 on a Jari Kurri overtime goal. The series shifted back to the Alberta capital for Game 5. Craig Simpson opened the scoring 47 seconds into the game with the first of his two goals on the night. A four-goal second period by the home team solidified what would become an 8-4 series clinching win. Messier led the charge with a four-point night, and Mike Krushelnyski matched Simpson with a two-goal effort as well. The Oilers would close out those playoffs with their fourth Stanley Cup in five seasons and officially become a dynasty team. Unfortunately, this would be the last season the Oilers would have Wayne Gretzky and also the last Cup The Great One would win.

1990

Opponent: Chicago Blackhawks

This was the third time the Oilers and Hawks met in the conference finals with Edmonton having won the two previous meetings. With the series tied at two, the stage was set for Game 5 back in Edmonton. It had been an evenly matched series through the first four games with each team having scored thirteen goals apiece. Game 5 reiterated how tight this series matchup was. Kurri would score the game winner with 1:31 left in the game to win the game 4-3 and take the series lead for the first time since Game 1. The Oilers would eliminate the Hawks in Game 6 in what would be the highest scoring game of the series with a score of 8-4. Thanks to the heroics of the eventual Conn Smythe winner Bill Ranford, Edmonton would hoist their fifth (and so far, last) Stanley Cup in 1990.

1991

Opponent: Minnesota North Stars

Even though the Oilers managed a convincing 7-2 win in Game 2, Minnesota prevailed in the other three games of the series and carried a 3-1 series lead into Game 5 in Edmonton. Grant Fuhr’s 30 saves just weren’t enough as Minnesota clinched the series with a 3-2 victory. Oilers captain Mark Messier had tied the game in the third period, but Bobby Smith responded just 41 seconds later with what ended up being the game winner for the North Stars.

2006

Opponent: Mighty Ducks of Anaheim

In what would be the last hurrah for quite some time for our beloved hockey club, the upstart Oilers of the 2006 playoffs took us on quite the ride. In a surprising turn of events, with already two upset playoff series wins behind them, Edmonton was back in the Conference Finals for the first time since 1992. The Oilers carried that momentum into round three and won the first three games of the series. The Mighty Ducks staved off elimination in Game 4 with a 6-3 win, which set the stage for Game 5 in Anaheim. The home team opened the scoring in the first period, but the Oilers responded with two goals in the second period by Ethan Moreau and Raffi Torres to take the lead. That’s all the scoring that was needed as Dwayne Roloson continued his stellar post season with 32 saves to preserve the 2-1 series clinching win. Edmonton reached the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1990, but ultimately lost in a heartbreaking seven game series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Well, there you have it. The Oilers have reached a Game 5 in the Conference Final on six occasions and have won five of them. Four of those ultimately led to a Stanley Cup. Where will this conference finals game five lead us? Stay tuned.

Related: Call Outs, Stand Outs, and Shoutouts: Oilers score five unanswered to even series with Stars