The Dallas Stars have been close to the NHL's mountaintop over the past two seasons. The Western Conference Final has previously been as far as this current group has gotten, but there's plenty of reason for optimism as Dallas attempts to clinch its first Stanley Cup Final berth since 2020.

The conference final of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features four teams in two best-of-7 series, which start Tuesday. Today, NHL.com previews the Western Conference Final between the Dallas Stars and Edmonton Oilers.

There is sudden death, but it could last a very long time. Witness the 2023 playoffs. The Florida Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes 3-2 in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final in a game that lasted nearly a full four overtime periods.