Sunday afternoon matinee? No problem for the Edmonton Oilers.
It’s a situation that drew the ire of many fans, but with the sun beating down in Alberta’s Capital for Game 3, the Oilers laid a beatdown of their own, putting six past Jake Oettinger in a crucial 6-1 win.
For the Oilers, it came on the back of a tremendous performance from the Big Dogs. Connor McDavid had two goals, including what was the game winner, Zach Hyman had a pair himself and a helper, as Evan Bouchard scored a goal and an assist, too. Meanwhile, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Evander Kane had three-assist nights of their own.
But the biggest dog of them all, Stuart Skinner, found the middle ground, turning aside 36 of the 37 shots he faced for a .971 save percentage, keeping his team locked into the game all afternoon long. They couldn’t have found the win without him, staving off a strong second-period push from the Stars, and saving 2.59 goals above expected, according to Evolving Hockey.
He found a win without getting a shutout, and saw his numbers improve to a 2.66 goals against average and a .902 save percentage in the postseason. That’s a far cry from where he was after his first two games of the playoffs, giving up 11 goals against in Game 1 and 2 losses to the Kings that landed him a .810 save percentage.
“You’re only human,” said Oilers winger Zach Hyman. “Everybody goes through struggles — players, coaches, I’m sure, you guys — everybody has times where you feel good about your job and sometimes you don’t.“I’m sure it’s just amplified when it’s the goalie because it’s the last line of defence. For him, to be able to battle back the way he has, is just really impressive. I think a lot of people were counting them out and he came in again and has been phenomenal, a big reason why we’re up 2-1.”
Hyman had another thundering performance in Game 3, laying 10 hits, each of which the Stars felt, but also in getting on the scoreboard in a big way, marking it with his first three-point performance since March 18th against the Utah Hockey Club. He’s now improved his playoff totals against the Stars to five goals and eight points in nine games played against them.
Nugent-Hopkins continued to add to his totals against the Stars, too, as with his three assist performance he’s up to 11 points in nine games played against them.
“He’s asked to do everything, every single night,” said McDavid of Nugent-Hopkins. “He plays big minutes five-on-five, on the power play — he’s a leader on the penalty kill, as well.“Our kind of Swiss Army knife, and he’s playing really, really well. Another three assists, but just solid all over, making plays and doing his thing. He’s playing great. “
So too is the case for Stuart Skinner — and while it may not be in the points column, his numbers are dazzling against Dallas. He now has a 6-3 record against them in the postseason, a 1.95 goals against average and a .925 save percentage. Not bad.
His head coach, Kris Knoblauch, has been impressed with his ability to bounce back.
“For him to get dialled in and play the way he is, as much help as you can give him, it lies on his shoulders, and I think he’s done a tremendous job rebounding after a stretch when he hasn’t played well,” said Knoblauch. “And his stretches usually aren’t that long, he usually rebounds quite quickly and plays a really solid game. I saw it all last year, and obviously this year during the playoffs. That first round wasn’t how he anticipated it, but man — since he’s come back, he’s been really good.”
While the Stars were without Roope Hintz, so too were the Oilers without Mattias Ekholm. Stars head coach Pete DeBoer said Hintz “wasn’t close” to playing Sunday, despite taking warmups, but is considered day-to-day. Ekholm, meanwhile, was going to be out for the first two games of the series, but we’ll likely learn more about his status as the series progresses.
Oilers winger Connor Brown left the game in the second period after taking a big hit from Stars defenceman Alex Petrovic. Knoblauch said he had no update on him after the game.
The Oilers will look to put the Stars in a serious bind and take a 3-1 series lead Tuesday night during Game 4.
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Zach Laing is Oilersnation’s associate editor, senior columnist, and The Nation Network’s news director. He also makes up one-half of the DFO DFS Report. He can be followed on Twitter, currently known as X, at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach.laing@bettercollective.com.
