Mavs Sweep the Oilers in Round 1

The playoffs round 1 series between the Tulsa Oilers and the Kansas City Mavericks; the first two games played in Kansas City and the following two played in Tulsa. The Mavericks swept the series. To be fair, this was somewhat predictable, although anything can happen in the playoffs. This Mavericks team is even better than the Idaho team was last year. That Idaho team set all kinds of records. So this Mavericks team (2023-24) is a talented and well-coached team.

The Oilers played some of their best hockey in weeks (or even months). This is playoff hockey after all. They showed promise in the first two games in Kansas City. They just didn’t close the deal at the end buzzer.

Julian Junca, Tulsa’s goalie, performed well, but he wasn’t able to keep his team in the games, whereas Kansas City Mavericks’ Jack LaFontaine, Cale Morris represented their team well. Combined with the defense and offensive, the Mavs had everything they needed to stay in each game, no matter what successes the Oilers had.

Kansas City Mavericks defenseman Nate Knoepke (5), Tulsa Oilers forward Jaxson Wiebe (27)

The Mavericks were 100% on the penalty kill during the series. They were 25% on the power play. The Mavericks did superior work against the boards, but seemed to position themselves well on the open ice and ultimately cut off passes of the Oilers.

Tulsa Oilers forward Dante Sheriff (29)

Overall, I think the Oilers played great hockey despite the sweep. The Mavericks deserved to win the series. As an Oilers fan, I would’ve appreciated getting to see a win or two, especially at home. Alas, that didn’t happen, and the season for fans of Tulsa Oilers is over. We can look forward to next hockey season. Some of us will be watching the Mavs to see how well they do throughout the playoffs.