May 27, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

The Dallas Stars have retaken home ice advantage in the Western Conference Final with a 5-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3. 

The Oilers got off to a quick start in front of their home fans for the first time in the series, but their 2-0 first period lead wouldn’t last through the midway point of the hockey game. The Stars ambushed the Oilers in the second period, outshooting them 16-7 in the frame. The Oilers got a late second period goal to get to the third tied at three. The Stars ended up getting the game winner at 11:54 of the third period, and they added an empty netter for good measure. Jason Robertson led the way with a hat trick for the Stars.

Call Outs

This loss isn’t on any particular player or line. The Oilers as a whole failed to back up a dominant first period with anything that resembled the requisite level of play for a Western Conference Final game in the second period. The Stars increased their urgency and desire to get to the front of the Oilers net, and the Oilers couldn’t match it.

Vincent Desharnais made a mess of the Stars’ third goal though. He failed to chip the puck past Jamie Benn in the neutral zone, and the puck went deep into the Oilers zone. Benn circled the net and passed it to Logan Stankoven in the slot. Stankoven beat Sam Carrick to the slot, but Carrick was able to tie up Stankoven’s stick. Desharnais left Wyatt Johnston alone beside the net because he felt the need to help Carrick with Stankoven. The puck went to Johnston with a wide open net.

Cody Ceci and Leon Draisaitl had a little bit of miscommunication on the game winning goal. Ceci was playing man-on-man defence on Tyler Seguin. I know that because Ceci followed Seguin from the defensive left side of the ice to the right side. The puck went to the point, and a weak shot hit Draisaitl’s skate and bounced to the right half wall. Ceci challenged Seguin for the puck there, but Draisaitl should’ve been the one to take Seguin there. 

The trouble was behind Ceci where Jason Robertson was lurking. The puck went to Robertson with all sorts of time because Darnell Nurse was the only man back.  Robertson found a way to jam the puck through Stuart Skinner’s blocker and over his skate that was pressed against the post. That looks bad on Skinner, but that’s just an unfortunate break in my opinion.

Nurse was on the ice for two goals against in this game. He has also been on the ice for a league leading eighteen five-on-five goals in these playoffs. I’m going to defend Nurse a little bit here though. Neither of the goals he was on the ice for tonight were his fault, as I described in detail above. He also saved a goal with his backside in the second period. 

Nurse is not a perfect player and he does make mistakes, but all players make mistakes. The Mattias Ekholm and Evan Bouchard pairing was on for three of the five goals against tonight; yet nobody will talk about that because they have been amazing all playoffs and they were also on the ice for two goals for tonight. Nurse has had some tough bounces go against him in these playoffs, and he has had teammates make mistakes that have led to goals. He has also made mistakes. Nurse isn’t deserving of criticism tonight though.

Stand Outs

Connor McDavid was flying out there in the first period. He shot a puck in off of Zach Hyman, and he was rewarded for going to the net with a goal of his own.

Adam Henrique scored a goal in his first playoff game as an Oiler, and he scored in his return to the lineup in Game 3 after his ankle injury. He was tied for fourth on the team with four hits while ranking thirteenth in total ice time. Henrique’s line was the only line that did not get scored on tonight. He was put where he was to stop the bleeding from the third line, and he delivered.

Shoutouts

Hyman scored his thirteenth goal of the playoffs by giving McDavid a wider target to shoot at. He just stood right beside the left post and let the puck bounce in off of him. His line with McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins was fantastic in the first period and were the reason why the Oilers got an early lead.

Warren Foegele has struggled in the playoffs; but he got an assist, two shots, and five hits in Game 3. His line with Henrique and Connor Brown was the only line to finish plus one on the night.

Wrap

The Oilers were notoriously slow starters and strong finishers in the regular season, but that trend has been flipped on its head in the last two games. The Oilers had great first periods in Games 2 and 3, but they ended up losing both games in regulation time because they failed to sustain their high level of play. Credit the Stars for being able to pick themselves up off the mats and take over the last two games, but the Oilers need to find a way to deliver a full sixty minute performance because twenty minutes of strong play isn’t enough in the Western Conference Final.

Game 4 goes on Wednesday night at Rogers Place.

Related: Call Outs, Stand Outs, and Shoutouts: Stars win Game 2 against Oilers