The Dallas Stars were on the receiving end of a 6-1 rout at the hands of the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final on Sunday afternoon at Rogers Place.
The Stars entered the game looking to take the series lead, but fell flat, surrendering three goals in the final 20 minutes to go down 2-1 in the series.
Zach Hyman and Connor McDavid scored twice for the Edmonton Oilers, with Evan Bouchard and John Klingberg scoring for the other tallies for Edmonton. Meanwhile, Jason Robertson replied for the Dallas Stars.
So, here’s a look at the three least impressive Dallas Stars players from their Game 3 blowout loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday afternoon.
3 least impressive Dallas Stars players from Game 3 loss to Edmonton Oilers
#3 Esa Lindell
Esa Lindell has risen through the Dallas Stars’ ranks, earning a spot on the top defensive pairing with Miro Hesikanen.
However, Lindell did not have his best game on Sunday afternoon, registering a minus-3 in over 20 minutes of ice time across 28 shifts.
In particular, Evan Bouchard’s opening goal did not make Lindell look good. Let’s check it out:
The Oilers won the draw in their own zone and quickly broke out. As Ryan Nugent-Hopkins grabbed the puck, he faked to shoot. Instead, he turned back and left Lindell sitting in the middle of the ice, puck-watching as Bouchard fired a rocket past Jake Oettinger.
Lindell will need to turn things around quickly in Game 4 if the Stars are to even the series.
#2 Alex Petrovic
Another beleaguered Dallas Stars’ blue liner, Alex Petrovic did not have a good game on Sunday. He was burned on numerous occasions, none worse than Hyman’s first goal of the night.
Here it is:
Nugent-Hopkins caught the Stars in a mental lapse, firing a shot past Petrovic in the middle of the ice. No one picked up Hyman streaking up the ice.
Worst of all, Petrovic didn’t even try to get back into the play once he realized he had been beaten on the play. The replay showed how Petrovic had his back to the play, instead of backing up to see the movement unfold in the Edmonton Oilers’ zone.
#1 Jake Oettinger
Jake Oettinger has been money all postseason for the Stars. But in Game 3, he had a rare bad performance, leading to a stinker of a game. He surrendered six goals on 24 shots, looking shaky most of the game.
Here’s a look at a couple of instances:
It’s hard to pin the blame solely on Oettinger for this goal. Cody Ceci has his share of the blame as he should have taken the pass away and let Oettinger take the shooter, McDavid.
Instead, Ceci’s flip-flopping allowed the Edmonton Oilers to pass the puck around. Oettinger was unable to react in time and McDavid made him pay.
Now, let’s look at Hyman’s second goal of the game:
Like previous goals, the Stars’ defense is the primary culprit. However, Oettinger should have made the save on Hyman’s redirection, even if Esa Lindell completely misplayed the puck.
Had Oettinger made one or two timely saves, he might have been able to bail his teammates out. He didn’t and now they are down 2-1 in the series.
Game 4 will be played on Tuesday night at Rogers Place, with the Stars looking to even the series before heading back to Dallas for Game 5.
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Edited by Nestor Quixtan
