Edmonton Oilers' Zach Hyman skates past as Dallas Stars Matt Duchene, Jamie Benn, Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell celebrate a goal in the third period on May 27, in Edmonton.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
The Oilers pretty much find themselves in a must-win situation on Wednesday to keep their hopes of winning the Stanley Cup alive.
They are in this predicament after a somewhat troubling 5-3 loss to the Stars on Monday. They now trail 2-1 in the best-of-seven series that will determine which club from the NHL’s Western Conference advances to the final.
Edmonton jumped out to a 2-0 lead before it coughed up three goals in a span of 3 minutes 33 seconds in the second period. Although the Oilers battled back to tie it, Jason Robertson scored the winner for Dallas in the third. It was his third goal of the evening and one that was badly misplayed by goalie Stuart Skinner.
Very rarely does a team come back once it trails 3-1 in a playoff series so the Oilers must take advantage of getting to play Game 4 on their home ice. They bounced back after falling behind Vancouver 3-2 in the second round but the Stars present a much more difficult challenge.
They play an up-tempo game, roll four lines, block shots and have a significant advantage in the net with Jake Oettinger. He has been quite good but still hasn’t had a signature performance yet. If that takes place it becomes an even tougher slog for Edmonton.
Its power play has suddenly gone silent and the Oilers are now 0-4 in the postseason when a game is tied after 40 minutes. They have lacked when it comes to finishing off an opponent.
Dallas looked like it was dead in the water after the first period on Monday and then turned it up a few notches and left the Oilers in disarray.
“Every team is going to push at certain points in the game,” Evander Kane, the Oilers forward, said Tuesday. “You want to make those as short as possible when you are on the other side of it. I think last night it was a little too long and the Stars got a lot of momentum and poured it on.
“At the same time it was still a 20-minute game going to the third. They’ve found the timelier goal the last two games and it’s something we are going to have to find.”
Edmonton won Game 1 in Dallas but fell 3-1 in Game 2. Even with a 2-0 lead and a very boisterous crowd at Rogers Place it was unable to stop the Stars as they approached wave after wave.
“We did not push back quick enough,” Zach Hyman said. The former Maple Leaf leads all scorers in the postseason with 13 goals. “The key to the playoffs is understanding that not every game is going to go to script. You have to be able to manage your emotions.
“After the first period we came into the locker room ecstatic how the period went and for them it was probably the opposite. But then halfway through the second they were ecstatic and we were wondering what just happened. That’s just the way the playoffs go.”
The Stars are 6-1 on the road at this point.
“Dallas is a great team but we are a great team, too,” Hyman said. “There were times in the game where we absolutely dominated and there were times when they were dominant. There is nothing to be upset about. We have a great opportunity with Game 4 at home and the ability to make the series a best of three and that is the mindset everybody should have.”
Connor McDavid came out flying and had an assist on a goal by Hyman and then scored one of his own. Adam Henrique tied it at 3-3 near the end of the second period but Robertson then waited patiently before he jammed a puck past Skinner.
There were no more heroics and because of it, the Oilers are in a position now where they are forced to save their season.
“We all know dwelling on things in the playoffs is not the way to go,” Leon Draisaitl said. “We have a great chance to tie up the series and that is the way we are looking at it. It’s very simple. We just have to win one game.”