On Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens’ farm team, the Laval Rocket, announced that it had signed a one-way, two-year contract extension with veteran center Laurent Dauphin. The 30-year-old has played 94 NHL games split between the defunct Arizona Coyotes (who had drafted him in the second round at the 2013 draft) turned Utah Mammoth and the Habs.

Dauphin left the Canadiens’ organization at the end of the 2021-2022 campaign to return to Arizona, where he split his time between the NHL and the AHL in 2022-23. He then decided to head to Europe for the 2023-24 campaign, where he played in the Swiss A league. He scored 38 points in 44 games before returning to Canada and signing a one-year contract with the Rocket.

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This season in Laval, under coach Pascal Vincent, he gathered 56 points in 63 games and had a plus-25 rating. So far in the playoffs, he has picked up eight points in six games. His veteran leadership has been invaluable to the team, and he’s currently seventh in points in the AHL.

On Wednesday night, the Rockets will resume their third-round series against the Rochester Americans. Both sides have won one game in the best-of-five series, starting with two in Rochester. The remaining duel games will take place at the Place Bell in Laval.

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EDMONTON – The time is finally here.

The Edmonton Oilers will play the Dallas Stars in Game 1 of the 2025 Western Conference Final on Wednesday night.

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It’s been a week since the Oilers fed the Vegas Golden Knights their lunch money, in the form of a second consecutive shutout win. Now, they look to shut down the Stars in their barn.

To kick off game day coverage, here are some Game 1 Predictions.

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Oilers vs. Stars Lineup Predictions

-I’m expecting the Oilers to put Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl back together to kick off the series. I also wouldn't trust the morning skate lines, as things can (and do) change in between the morning and the warm-up skate.

-McDavid and Draisaitl have outscored the opposition 10-6 when together in the 2025 playoffs. McDavid without Draisaitl? They are outscored 2-4.

-Another reason to make this change is that they will be the away team. Loading up the top line would indicate that they want to have a “power vs power” matchup against the Stars’ Mikko Rantanen. Considering the depth that the Oilers have, this is a welcome challenge.

-If there is ever a low-risk time to give Jeff Skinner another game, it’s this one. If he comes into the lineup (and that's a big if), I’d put him with McDavid and Draisaitl.

-Jake Oettinger has allowed a lot of goals from in front of the net. Expect Zach Hyman, Evander Kane, and Corey Perry to be in his kitchen all night, wearing him down.

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Defense Lineup Notes

-The Stars have the best powerplay of the four remaining teams (30.8 success rate).

-Watch for Evan Bouchard to play more shorthanded minutes. He played 3:32 on the penalty kill in Game 4. The Golden Knights had three powerplays and did not score on any of them.

-As long as everyone plays how Kris Knoblauch expects them too, I wouldn’t expect any shuffle in the pairings. If there is a shuffle, Troy Stecher likely gets the short end of the stick.

Final four https://t.co/RbnckCLHNPpic.twitter.com/Sp7GHVNI7u

— MoneyPuck.com (@MoneyPuckdotcom) May 19, 2025

Game 1 Predictions vs The Stars

- Hyman comes out like a wrecking ball, throwing 10 hits and scoring two goals, one of them the game winner.

- McDavid comes out flying and scores the game's first goal.

- Stuart Skinner starts the game strong in the net. He gets an unfortunate goal scored on him in the second period, but he locks it down otherwise.

-Oilers defenders help him by limiting high-danger chances and keeping shots to the outside and medium range.

- Final Score Prediction: 3-1 Oilers

Where & When To Watch Oilers vs Stars Game 1

The game will be broadcast on Wednesday at 6:00 PM Mountain Time. Sportsnet, CBC, ESPN, and ESPN+ will carry the broadcast.

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