For the second straight round, Rantanen leads the Conn Smythe Watch as he helped lead the Dallas Stars to their third straight conference finals. Through 13 postseason games, he leads all playoff scorers with 19 points, including a playoff-best nine goals.

The Stars lost in the Stanley Cup Final in 2020 and in the conference final each of the past two years. Coach Pete DeBoer and forwards Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene have never won the Cup in their long NHL careers. Forward Tyler Seguin hasn't won it since he was a 19-year-old rookie with the Boston Bruins in 2011.

NHL referee Chris Rooney hopes to return to the Stanley Cup playoffs after suffering a black eye in a high stick accident during Game 7 between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida

Leon Draisaitl is the betting favorite to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP going into the conference finals round of the NHL playoffs, with the Edmonton Oilers eight wins away from the Stanley Cup that has eluded him and Connor McDavid.

The NHL playoffs see the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers meeting in the Western Conference finals. Follow along with Game 1 live updates.