The Edmonton Oilers came into Game 3 needing their stars to be their stars, and they delivered. After a quiet Game 2, Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins led the charge in front of a wild Rogers Place crowd. The Oilers won the game going away by a score of 6-1.
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Hockey pundits David Amber and Luke Gazdic opened their postgame breakdown by saying what fans across Alberta felt: this wasn’t just a win but a message.
“You need your big guys to step up in big games,” said Gazdic, and Edmonton’s top line answered that call emphatically. Each player on the Oilers’ first line had a multi-point night: McDavid scored twice, Hyman added two more goals, and Nugent-Hopkins battled through an apparent injury to make key defensive plays and record a beautiful assist.
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In the crease, goalie Stuart Skinner — who has often been the target of criticism in this postseason — quietly stole the show. He stopped 30 of 31 shots, looking calm, composed, and dialed in.
What Points Did Amber and Gazdic Make?
Amber and Gazdic made several key points in their game analysis.
First: McDavid was the tone-setter. After being asked repeatedly why he doesn’t shoot more, the captain was assertive and opportunistic. The result? He scored twice. One goal came on a brilliant backhand that left Stars goalie Jake Oettinger frozen. He was the only Oiler to log over 20 minutes and he made every second of his ice time count.
Second: The league’s top playoff goal-scorer, Hyman, continued his remarkable postseason run. He scored two more goals, added an assist, and was an amazing plus-5 on the night. Third: Nugent-Hopkins took a huge hit, went to the dressing room, returned, and gutted it out. He played his grittiest game of the playoffs. His defensive-zone effort and his slick stretch pass to Hyman were both game-changing.
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Fourth, and finally: There’s Skinner. After a shaky start to the playoffs, he’s now stopped 60 of the last 61 shots he’s faced. His poise in the crease gave the Oilers the platform they needed to take control. He clearly won the goalie duel with the Stars’ Oettinger.
Gazdic compared the Oilers’ Game 3 push to the Florida Panthers’ killer instinct: “They smelled blood in the water and went for it.”
The Bottom Line for the…
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