The Edmonton Oilers were on the ropes after dropping both games to the Los Angeles Kings to start the series, and the only option for our boys in Game 3 was to find a way to win. And while it wasn’t the prettiest win we’ll ever see — it sure as hell was entertaining — the Oilers got the result they needed in a rollercoaster 7-4 finish.

I love sports. After getting piled on by half the fanbase for days after a challenging first two games in Los Angeles, Evan Bouchard came up with his best game of the series by a country mile. Not only did he score a massive pair of power play goals, but he looked way more confident with the puck on his stick, which translated to strong decision-making all over the ice. Dad was finding guys with crisp passes and using his feet at just the right times, all while doing a fine job of caring for his own end. While he only played 20:44 in TOI — that ranked fourth among Oilers d-men — Bouchard was noticeable in a positive way nearly every shift he played.

What has been bothering me about Evan Bouchard’s struggles is that I knew how much better he is than how he was playing. He seemed to be playing with no confidence and needed something good to happen to get some of that mojo back. You can count me firmly in the Team Bouchard camp, but the heat will keep coming his way until he can string a few more games together like the one he played on Friday. We just got a massive dose of what Bouchard is capable of, and I hope that two-goal performance was precisely what he needed to get back to the levels we’ve grown accustomed to at this time of year.

Not bad for Evander Kane’s second game of the year, right? If you remember, the line of Kane with Adam Henrique and Connor Brown was the trio responsible for Brown’s first goal of the season late in the 2023-24 campaign. There was a stretch when that combo looked like a decent option as the Oilers’ third line. Liam actually reminded me about that on Friday’s episode of Oilersnation Radio, and it turned out to be an effective line once more. On Friday night, Edmonton’s veteran third line came through once again. As for Kane, he made a massive impact in Game 3 despite playing only 13:07 in TOI.

Ignoring the high-sticking penalty he took that led to Kevin Fiala’s second period goal, the rest of Kane’s night was pretty damned good. Not only did he score the tying goal on a greasy play in the crease that saw him kick the puck up to his stick before chopping it over the line, but he also picked up a beautiful assist on Connor Brown’s first goal of the night. Two points not enough for you? Then how would you feel if I tossed in four shots on net and five hits? Again, that’s pretty damned impressive for a guy who hadn’t played a game since June 10th of 2024 before sliding in for Game 2 on Wednesday. If Kane can keep getting better as the series wears on, he could end up being an X factor for this team as they look to even up the series on Sunday. Do you believe?

Once again, Calvin Pickard was tossed into a near-impossible circumstance after he got the nod to start Game 3 in what was basically a must-win situation. We all know the math when it comes to being down 0-3 in a series — Gord do ever know the pain of what trying to come back looks like — and the pressure was on Pickard to come up with a performance that could save the season. He needed to give the Oilers a foundation to build upon, and the only way to do that is to make saves. And to Pickard’s credit, he made enough to get the job done. Was it perfect? No. Did he still outduel his counterpart? He did.

Listen, I’m not going to pretend that Calvin Pickard had a perfect night in net or that his .857 save percentage gives me warm and fuzzies going into the rest of the series. That one-handed goal by Trevor Moore was tough, and I can be honest when I say that I was feeling pretty dejected in my seat in section 129 when the puck went in. It was the kind of quick response goal that could have easily sunk the ship, but to his credit, Pickard locked things down from there. He didn’t sulk, he didn’t get rattled, he locked back in and handled his business. His being perfect in the third period gave his team a chance to come back, and he did it while knowing the only acceptable result from that start was a win. Now that he has gotten the team back in the series, my question is whether it was enough to earn another start on Sunday?

1. You’ve gotta give a big shout out to Jim Hiller for the horrible coach’s challenge on the Evander Kane goal that set the Oilers up with the power play they needed to cash in the game winner. That moment could end up as the TSN turning point in the series, and I want to thank him for what I can only describe as a huge favour for Edmonton.

2. I was lucky enough to be at the game last night, and it was so much fun to be back at Rogers Place for the playoffs. That place is a completely different land in the post-season, and to have our first home game land on Friday night was a green light for a solid majority of the attendees. The Kuemper chants were fun, the costume were hilarious, and I simply love being in that building at this time of year. As always, Oilers fans brought the heat and the resulting atmosphere was a blast to be a part of.

3. Jake Walman had a quietly solid night, didn’t he? In 21:44 of TOI, Walman finished with an assist, two shots on net, one block, one hit, and a team-high +3 as the cherry on top. He’s good, friends, and I think he’s only going to get better as he starts feeling more comfortable as an Oiler.

4. I’m going to go ahead and put an official recommendation down that the Oilers avoid taking anymore penalties in this series. That’s it, no more. Even though they only took two penalties in Game 3, the Kings managed to score on both man advantages, bringing their total to seven PP goals on 12 opportunities. It doesn’t take a data scientist math spreadsheet boy to figure out that’s bad news. The good news is that the Oilers’ power play finally woke up, cashing in both power play opportunities of their own.

5. Also, can someone please figure out how to stop Adrian Kempe? The guy is killing us.

6. On the other hand, Darcy Kuemper is beatable and rattleable too. Say what you will about Pickard’s .857, Kuemper finished his night with a .853 save percentage. Point Cal.

7. Did you really think I wouldn’t mention that the Oilers won 59.3% of the faceoffs in Game 3? Pleeeeeease.

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