The Oilers take a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference Final, the latest on the Panthers and Hurricanes ahead of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.

OILERS DEFEAT STARS, TAKE THE LEAD IN THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL

NHL.COM: Connor McDavid and Zach Hyman each scored twice to lead the Edmonton Oilers to a 6-1 victory over the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final. The Oilers hold a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Stuart Skinner made 33 saves and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins collected three primary assists for the Oilers. Jason Robertson replied for the Stars.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid (NHL Images).

McDavid’s two goals vaulted him into the lead in this postseason’s scoring race with 22 points ahead of Dallas’s Mikko Rantanen, who’s been held to one assist in this series thus far. The Stars winger is tied with Florida’s Sam Bennett for the goal-scoring lead with nine goals.

Oilers forward Connor Brown left this game in the third period following a hard hit from Dallas defenseman Alexander Petrovic. Stars center Roope Hintz took the warmup but remained sidelined after suffering a lower-body injury in Game 2. He’s listed as day-to-day.

Game 4 is Tuesday, May 27, in Edmonton at 8 pm ET.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Skinner was the star of this game for Edmonton. Rantanen praised the Oilers’ goaltender, especially his play in the second period when the Stars outshot the Oilers 21-7 in the second period. Skinner’s won four of his last five games, giving up only one goal in those victories.

Apart from a dominant third period in Game 1, Dallas has struggled to score in this series. Skinner deserves credit for that, as do his teammates for limiting the Stars’ scoring opportunities.

HEADLINES

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW: Panthers head coach Paul Maurice believes all his players will be ready to play in Monday’s critical Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes. However, winger Sam Reinhart remains questionable after suffering a lower-body injury (right leg) in Game 2. The Panthers hold a commanding 3-0 lead in the series and can wrap things up with a win in Game 4.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Hurricanes’ once-dominating goaltending tandem of Frederik Andersen and Pyotr Kochetkov has struggled against the Panthers in the Eastern Conference Final. After giving up 18 goals in their first two series, they’ve allowed 16 goals by the Panthers in three games.

NHL.COM: Hurricanes defensemen Jalen Chatfield and Sean Walker remain questionable for Game 4. They both missed the previous contest with undisclosed injuries.

NHL.COM: Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson scored in overtime as the United States defeated Switzerland 1-0 to win its first gold medal in the IIHF World Championship since 1933. The Americans dedicated their championship to Johnny Gaudreau, who was killed with his brother by an alleged drunk driver last August.

DAILY FACEOFF: Sweden defeated Denmark 6-2 in the bronze medal game. This was the Swedes’ 49th overall, putting them in second place behind Canada’s 53 medals. Denmark finished fourth, marking their best showing in the World Championship.

RG. ORG: Montreal Canadiens winger Ivan Demidov is spending the offseason living and training in Montreal. A source close to the 18-year-old winger said he’s already grown fond of the city and its culture, and will be taking French and English lessons while conducting his offseason training under the watchful eye of the Canadiens’ staff.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Demidov debuted with the Canadiens in their final two regular-season games and five-game playoff series against the Washington Capitals. Next season will be his first full NHL campaign.

NEW YORK POST: Larry Brooks believes the NHL must address what he considers the “glaring inequality” that six teams out of five states (Florida, Texas, Nevada, Washington and Tennessee) with no state income tax have had over the other 26 clubs over the past decade.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The salary cap addresses that inequality. The Tampa Bay Lightning’s 2004 Stanley Cup roster was swiftly depleted by the imposition of the cap in 2005. As well managed as the Lightning have been over the past 10 years, salary-cap constraints took their toll over the past three years, leading to three straight first-round eliminations.

Shrewd management played a significant role in the recent championship success of the Lightning, Panthers, and Golden Knights. The lack of a state tax may have made it easier to re-sign key players, but they were still expensive to retain, eating up valuable cap space at the expense of their overall roster depth.

The Panthers are a strong club and could repeat as champions this season. Nevertheless, cap constraints took their toll last season when top-four defenseman Brandon Montour departed via free agency. That trend will continue to affect their roster depth as it did to their rival in Tampa Bay.

Before their recent dominance, the Panthers were a laughingstock for decades. The lack of a state income tax didn’t help them during those grim years when they were mismanaged.

The Stars have done well since 2020 (four Conference Finals, one Stanley Cup Final) because of their management. Jim Nill won the Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award in 2023 and 2024 and is a finalist this season. However, they missed the playoffs nine times between 2008-09 and 2018-19, with four of those under Gill’s watch. A lack of a state tax didn’t give them an edge during those lean years.

Despite the Golden Knights’ short history, management was a significant factor in their success. A lack of a state tax likely played a role in signing core players like Mark Stone and Alex Pietrangelo. However, the club’s impressive record was due to the efforts of former general manager George McPhee and his successor, Kelly McCrimmon.

Nevertheless, the salary cap also affected their roster depth. In recent years, limited space forced them to part with several core players, including 2023 Conn Smythe Trophy winner Jonathan Marchessault.

Strong management played a key role in the Predators maintaining a competitive roster under a cost-conscious ownership for years, including their march to the 2017 Stanley Cup Final. Their supposed tax advantage may have helped them land Steven Stamkos, Jonathan Marchessault and Brady Skjei via free agency last summer, but it didn’t help them reach the playoffs this season, nor has it helped them return to the heights of their 2016-17 season.

As for the Seattle Kraken, their tax advantage hasn’t given them any advantage thus far in their short history, missing the playoffs in three of the four seasons of their short existence.

STLTODAY.COM: Former Blues and Cardinals executive Mark Sauer passed away on May 22. He was president and CEO of the Blues from 1996 to 2006.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to the Blues organization and their fans.