Dallas Stars head coach Pete DeBoer is “optimistic” defenceman Chris Tanev will be available for Friday’s Game 5 of the NHL’s Western Conference final against the Edmonton Oilers.
The shutdown blueliner didn’t return after taking a shot off his right foot in the second period Wednesday.
Edmonton took that one 5-2 to even the best-of-seven series 2-2.
Tanev, who is listed as a game-time decision, is averaging 22 minutes 33 seconds of ice time in the playoffs.
The 34-year-old from Toronto was acquired in a deal with the Calgary Flames ahead of the March trade deadline.
Jani Hakanpää hasn’t played for the Stars since March 16 because of a lower-body injury. The defenseman was on the trip to Edmonton, but it was unclear if he was ready to return.
Game 6 goes Sunday in Edmonton. Game 7, if necessary, would be Tuesday back in Dallas.
There have been wild swings of momentum in the Western Conference Final.
After Edmonton and Dallas both came back from multiple-goal deficits to win while splitting the past two games, this is now a best-of-three for a spot in the Stanley Cup Final.
“You look back at this series … there’s four games that Dallas thought they could have won, and we feel there’s four games that we could have won,” Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch said. “It’s been a good series. I like where we’re going. I like stretches of how we’ve been playing, and it’s just important that we are able to do it for longer stretches.”
With a chance to put a stranglehold on the series, Dallas scored twice in the first 5 1/2 minutes on the road in Game 4. Edmonton got even before the first period ended Wednesday night, then scored two more goals 51 seconds apart in the second period on way to a 5-2 win.
“This isn’t supposed to be easy, and it’s not supposed to be pretty,” DeBoer said.
Well, that scenario looked a lot better for the Stars after winning Game 3. Rogers Place was in a frenzy with Edmonton back home and ahead 2-0 in only 7 1/2 minutes, but Dallas scored three goals in a 3:33 span of the second period and went on to win after its fastest trio of goals in a playoff game.
“They’re going to grab momentum at times in this series. It’s about what we do to go grab it back,” Oilers forward Connor Brown said after assisting on the tiebreaking short-handed goal in Game 4, less than a minute before Leon Draisaitl scored.
“We had guys jumping over the boards trying to get the momentum back. Not trying to make a flashy play or anything, just simple, hard, win your battles.”
Edmonton led 2-0 in the opener of this series but needed captain Connor McDavid’s goal 32 seconds into the second overtime to win 3-2.
Dallas then went ahead early in Game 2, but captain Jamie Benn’s goal hadn’t even been announced to the home crowd before Brown tied the game 44 seconds later — though the Stars won 3-1.
“I’ve got all the confidence in the world in this group. … Reset here, learn from it. And we’ve got a great opportunity in front of us, a best-of-3 three on home ice,” Benn said after Game 4.
“Two good teams playing and no one’s going to lay down,” Stars forward Joe Pavelski said. “It’s the time of the year, and you’ve got teams that you know can make plays both ways. And it just shows just how fine of a line it is. It comes own to a few plays throughout the night, and can tip games at times.”
With files from Stephen Hawkins, The Canadian Press
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