Jason Robertson’s hat-trick goal midway through the third period broke a deadlock and proved to be the eventual winner as the Dallas Stars beat the host Edmonton Oilers 5-3 in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final to take a 2-1 series lead.
Robertson’s tally at 11:54 came following a broken play, literally, when defenceman Esa Lindell’s point shot saw him break his stick, but not before the puck bounced off a pair of Oilers to winger Tyler Seguin.
The winger’s backhand pass found Robertson, whose bank shot in tight bounced off the back Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner and into the net.
With Skinner pulled for an extra Oilers attacker, defenceman Miro Keiskanen scored into an empty net for Stars goal No. 5 with 1:52 left to play.
Hyman nets 13th to open scoring
Oilers winger Zach Hyman opened the scoring, deflecting a Connor McDavid shot off his body and past Stars goalie Jake Oettinger 2:02 into the game for his league playoffs-leading 13th goal.
The Oilers struck again five-and-a-half minutes later when defenceman Mattias Ekholm shot the puck on net after skating out from behind the Stars net, with McDavid grabbing the rebound in front of Oettinger to tuck home his fourth goal of the playoffs and a 2-0 Edmonton lead.
Edmonton dominated the first in terms of scoring chances, outshooting Dallas 10-3 in the opening frame, but the Stars managed several good chances, including one less than 30 seconds after McDavid’s goal off an Evgenii Dadonov rush that saw Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner stop both the winger and centre Sam Steel in close.
Stars defenceman Miro Heiskanen also didn’t miss by much on a slap shot from the point late in the period, just missing the net on Skinner’s blocker side.
Stars come alive in second
The second period belonged to the Stars, who scored three times and outshot the Oilers 16-7 in the frame.
Robertson, breaking a 10-game goalless drought, got Dallas on the board with a slapshot from the left faceoff circle following a Roope Hintz feed coming out of the corner. He added his second of the game a minute later during a scramble in front of Skinner.
Wyatt Johnston put the Stars ahead 3-2 after his goal came while waiting beside the Oilers’ crease, scooping the puck past Skinner after a pair of Oilers took down Stars forward Logan Stankoven in front of the goal, the puck bouncing to the waiting Johnston.
Adam Henrique, in his first playoff action in seven games, tied the score with 53 seconds left in the frame, deflecting a Connor Brown shot from the boards and past Oettinger glove side.
Oettinger stopped 27 Oilers shots for the win while Skinner turned aside 18 by the Stars.