The Edmonton Oilers ran out to a quick lead in Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights. The Golden Knights came back with a vengeance in the form of five unanswered goals to take the game 5-1. After their first goal, the Oilers couldn’t solve either goaltender as Adin Hill came in relief of an injured Laurent Brossoit.
The Golden Knights were a more disciplined team, only taking two penalties through 60 minutes. With the lack of power play time for the Oilers they were forced to develop momentum with their 5-on-5 play. That is where the Golden Knights were the better team and came out with the win.
Golden Knights Score 5 Straight
Warren Foegele got the monkey off of his back by opening the scoring at 2:45 of the first period. He has been playing great throughout the postseason, so it was nice to see him get rewarded. That joy was short-lived as the Golden Knights countered two minutes later with Jonathan Marchessault getting his first of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
What followed was another four unanswered goals by the Golden Knights. The Golden Knights looked more like the team that won Game 1 instead of the one that lost Game 2. They rebounded as a unit in a big way, which was the only way they were going to win against the Oilers. The Golden Knights scored each of their five goals at even strength. That is incredible production to have without getting a boost from the power play.
Oilers’ Comeback is Too Little Too Late
After the first five minutes of the first period, the Oilers lost momentum with the Golden Knights scoring the game’s tying goal. It could have shifted back to the Oilers if Leon Draisaitl scored on one of his amazing scoring chances in the first period. His shot that went off the post would have made this a different game had it gone into the back of the net. The momentum would have been in the Oilers’ favor and Draisaitl would be making his case for the Conn Smythe Trophy even stronger.
Related: Oilers’ Special Teams Scorches Golden Knights in Game 2 Victory
The Oilers only mustered up seven shots in the first period. If not for Stuart Skinner, they could have been in a deeper hole than 2-1 at the end of the first. In the second period, the shots were close to even at 11-10 in favor of the Golden Knights. But the Golden Knights ran away with the game, even though the Oilers were playing better and more consistently than the first frame. The Oilers pushed in the third period to the tune of 11 shots, but at that point, it was too little, too late.
All 4 Goalies See Action
Game 3 was the first time that we saw all four goalies from the two teams play in the same game. Skinner had started the game for the Oilers. He was pulled after allowing the first four goals on 23 shots. He was hardly at fault for a couple of them, but Jay Woodcroft needed to do something to spark his team. He hoped the goalie change would give his team a spark, but that did not happen this time. Jack Campbell came on in relief for Skinner and only had one goal get past him on 10 Golden Knights shots.
Brossoit was solid for the Golden Knights, stopping some fantastic chances (and getting some help from posts and missed shots) from Oilers players up and down the lineup. Mid-way through the first period he pushed from the left side of his net to stop a shot. Once he went down he did not get up and the play was whistled dead. Trainers and teammates came to see how he was doing and help him off the ice. The former Oiler and Edmonton Oil King was able to get up with the help of his teammates and received many cheers and applause from the crowd at Rogers Place. Hill was perfect in relief stopping all 24 Oilers shots he faced.
Interesting Statistics
- Oilers outhit the Golden Knights 50-25.
- Brossoit stopped three of four shots against him.
- Vincent Desharnais played 15:39 in Game 3
- Leon Draisaitl had the most ice time of any Oiler with 23:03.
- Mattias Ekholm was the only Oiler without a hit.
The Oilers will regroup for Game 4 on Wednesday night. Down 2-1 in the series, it is a must-win for the home team to make it a best-of-three. They need to find a way to produce at even strength and not live and die by the power play.