Down 3-1 entering the third period, Dallas opened with a power-play goal from Miro Heiskanen just 32 seconds in. That kickstarted a furious comeback, with Mikael Granlund tying it at 3-3 and Matt Duchene giving the Stars the lead with his first of the playoffs, all within the first six minutes of the period.

Tyler Seguin, who scored earlier in the first to tie the game 1-1, added another goal late in the third. Esa Lindell buried an empty-netter to seal it.

“Great third. If we keep doing that, it’s going to be good,” said Heiskanen, who had a goal and an assist.

Dallas had been 0-for-14 on the power play against Edmonton during last year’s conference final. This time, the Stars made the man advantage count, going 3-for-3 in the third period alone.

Oilers coach Kris Knoblauch admitted the special teams battle changed everything. “They get that one shot through that ends up being a goal, and that changes the momentum. They feel better about their game… and then it’s another penalty that we can’t kill.”

The Oilers had controlled much of the game early. Leon Draisaitl opened the scoring and finished with three points. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evan Bouchard each added goals to build what looked like a solid 3-1 lead.

But the third period collapse ended Edmonton’s 13-game playoff winning streak when leading after two periods. Goalie Stuart Skinner, who had posted back-to-back shutouts entering the night, allowed five goals on 27 shots.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” Skinner said. “You just can’t be doing that, especially at playoff time.”

Jake Oettinger made 24 saves for the Stars, including a key early stop on Connor McDavid that kept Dallas in it when things were trending the other way.

Game 2 is set for Friday night in Dallas. The Oilers will need to regroup quickly and stay out of the penalty box if they want to avoid heading home in a 2-0 hole.

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