3 Takeaways From Oilers’ Disappointing 4-3 Loss Against Golden Knights in Game 3

The Edmonton Oilers returned home for Game 3 on Saturday night (May 10), and were looking to take a commanding 3-0 series lead against the Vegas Golden Knights. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case, thanks to a last-second buzzer-beater by Reilly Smith to win the game for Vegas. Smith scored two goals, Nicolas Roy scored, and William Karlsson added one in the 4-3 victory. Corey Perry had two goals, and Connor McDavid added the other with 3:02 remaining to tie the game momentarily before heartbreak ensued.

This was a sloppy game from the home squad, and Vegas played with desperation, which Edmonton didn’t match. The Oilers shouldn’t have won Game 2, but they did, and unfortunately, they weren’t as lucky in this one. They didn’t manage the puck well, had too many unforced errors, and underwhelming goaltending. All that combined isn’t a recipe for success. This was a poor performance, and they got what they deserved. With that said, here are three takeaways from this disappointing defeat.

Oilers’ Quick Start Was Erased

The Oilers got off to a rare fast start, taking a 2-0 lead within the first 12 minutes. Unfortunately, they didn’t sustain that and let Vegas back into the game. They allowed two goals in 54 seconds to erase their quick start, which silenced the crowd. The Oilers sat back and didn’t push the play when they were ahead, tied, or even down by one heading into the third period.

There was limited pushback in the third period, with Edmonton down by one. It took a lucky deflection off the defender’s skate to tie the game. Edmonton had an abysmal two shots on goal in the first half of the final frame. That’s not going to cut it while looking for the equalizer. Goaltender Adin Hill has had a bad postseason and has been shaky in this series. The Oilers needed to throw everything on the net, and they didn’t, finishing with only 20 shots.

The depth has largely carried this team throughout the postseason, and it was time the big guns stepped up. Yes, McDavid tied the game late in the third, but other than that, they’ve been relatively quiet. They need to step up and take over a game, and they haven’t yet. That leads us to the next takeaway.

Leon Draisaitl’s Worst Game as an Oiler?

There’s no sugarcoating it, Leon Draisaitl was awful. He couldn’t connect on his passes, and there were a few instances where he missed passes barely out of his reach, resulting in icings. He usually comes up with those, but was a step slow. The German forward made mistakes all game and hindered the team, which is unfortunate considering he has carried them all season. He doesn’t look like his normal self, so hopefully this was just an off night, and not something more serious.

On the Golden Knights’ first goal, he was pick-pocketed in the neutral zone, resulting in an odd-man rush. Then, in the second period, he had a brutal giveaway, leading to sustained offensive zone time for Vegas. That resulted in a brutal line change on the ensuing sequence because of tired players on the ice. Vegas quickly recognized that and transported the puck up the ice, giving them the lead on Edmonton’s breakdown and mental mistakes. Finally, to conclude his bad night, he redirected the puck into his net on the game-winning goal with 0.4 seconds remaining.

“We didn’t sort it out very well, to let the puck get into the slot. After that, it’s just unlucky. It’s unfortunate. It goes off my stick — I’m just trying to keep it out of the net. It’s just a bad bounce,” Draisaitl stated about the game-winner. That final goal culminated his night, and he must be much better if they want to win this series.

Stuart Skinner’s Woes Continue

Calvin Pickard replaced Stuart Skinner in the third period of Game 2 against the Los Angeles Kings, and it’s been Pickard’s net ever since. Unfortunately, he is listed as day-to-day, and it was announced that he would miss Game 3. So Skinner was thrown back into the net, looking for redemption. However, that didn’t happen as he only stopped 20 of 24 shots for a putrid .833 save percentage (SV%). While he made some key saves, he required a few more. So, let’s dissect the goals he allowed.