Oilers fall behind Golden Knights in series with gutting loss on home ice
The Edmonton Oilers entered the second round as a Stanley Cup favourite.
They looked anything but in Game 3 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Jonathan Marchessault scored twice — his first two goals of the series — and the Golden Knights cruised to an easy 5-1 road victory over the Oilers.
It was a rare night where both Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl were held off of the scoresheet.
Jack Eichel, on the other hand, had a goal and two assists for the Golden Knights.
Playoff Jack Eichel is now up to five goals this postseason! 🙌 #StanleyCup
🇺🇸: @espn ➡️ https://t.co/nwy2sQdyWQ
🇨🇦: @Sportsnet ➡️ https://t.co/P5P4B63syY pic.twitter.com/hUwnPN6eY4— NHL (@NHL) May 9, 2023
Eichel’s goal was the last straw for Oilers head coach Jay Woodcroft. He pulled Stuart Skinner in the second period after he allowed four goals on 23 shots. Jack Campbell allowed one goal in relief.
Golden Knights goalie — and former Oiler — Laurent Brossoit left the game in the first period with an injury and did not return.
Back up Adin Hill was flawless in his place, stopping all 25 shots he faced.
Things started out promising for the Oilers, as they scored on their first shot of the game.
Warren Foegele scored his first goal of the playoffs on a cross-ice pass from Derek Ryan.
Warren Foegele gets the party started with his first of the Stanley Cup Playoffs! 🪩 pic.twitter.com/Eg3Jdhn0eK
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2023
The party at Rogers Place died down quickly after that.
Without a power play, the Oilers looked much less threatening. The Golden Knights held a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes, outshooting the Oilers 15-7 in the process.
They continued their onslaught in the second period, getting goals from Eichel, Zach Whitecloud and Chandler Stephenson.
Whitecloud goes short-side on Skinner for his first of the Stanley Cup Playoffs to extend VGK's lead to two! ☁️ pic.twitter.com/sX8rmno3S1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 9, 2023
The Oilers only had one full power play, and it came with less than five minutes to go in the game.
When asked about the Oilers’ lack of success at even strength, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins propped up his team.
“We are very confident in our five-on-five game. We know we can be better.”
The Oilers have been good at rebounding of late. Dating back to the regular season, they’ve won seven straight game following a loss.
In those wins, the Oilers have averaged 4.4 goals per game.
“We’re a good team at responding after a tough game,” Nugent-Hopkins told reporters after the game. “I expect that Wednesday night.”
There’s been a wildly different result in every game so far in the series. The Golden Knights beat the Oilers in a close Game 1, before Edmonton dominated Vegas in Game 2.
In Game 3, it was the Knights who did the dominating, and they were having some fun on their Twitter account in the aftermath.
We're in Edmonton… didn't see you guys tho….. https://t.co/JTsN30fK9C
— z – Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) May 9, 2023