Edmonton got the start it wanted in Game 2 -- Ryan Nugent-Hopkins tallied an early power-play goal that felt like exacting revenge on that costly, penalty-filled third period the Oilers handed Dallas in Game 1. Then, Edmonton tempted fate, handing the Stars a power play -- but neutralized it with an excellent kill. That was a confidence booster.

The forward knew it was unlikely the Oilers would have the 94.3 percent success rate of last season, but did not expect it to drop to the current 62.2 percent heading into Game 2 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars at American Airlines Center on Friday (8 p.m. ET; ESPN+, ESPN, SN, TVAS, CBC).