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"Won't say we gave it away": Connor McDavid delivers his take on Oilers' 5-3 loss to Stars in Game 3
Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid shared his thoughts following their 5-3 loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals on Monday.
It was a disappointing night for Oilers fans at Rogers Place, as their team let slip a 2-0 lead, resulting in a frustrating defeat by a two-goal margin. The Stars, after clinching Games 2 and 3, now hold a 2-1 series lead and are only two games away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2020.
Coming into Game 3, the Edmonton Oilers struck first, scoring the opening goal for the 12th time in 15 postseason games. Zach Hyman gave the Oilers an early lead within two minutes and five minutes later Connor McDavid put them ahead 2-0 before heading into the second period.
The Oilers found themselves in a familiar situation during the second period, echoing Game 1 where they squandered a 2-0 lead to the Stars' dominance. The Oilers struggled to get the puck out of their zone, allowing the Stars to regain possession and maintain control.
The Stars cycled the puck effectively and went on to respond by scoring three goals in less than five minutes to take a 3-2 lead. Connor McDavid reflected on the second period and the challenges the Oilers faced.
He mentioned the difficulty in stopping the momentum shift that allowed the Dallas Stars to score three quick goals. McDavid acknowledged that both the Stars elevated their game and the Oilers struggled to maintain their level of play:
"I thought they went up a couple levels, and we went down a few levels. Obviously, you see the difference. They like to play a long game, like a kind of stretch game. And when they stretch it out. know, it's tough for us to be connected," McDavid said.
McDavid also said that despite not wanting to fall behind, they were able to fight back after going down in the second period. However, he expressed frustration in not being able to find a way to secure the win in the end:
"You know series are short, and you only get a handful of games, and you never like to get back in. Won't say we gave it away; it was 40 minutes, and we were able to wrestle it back, but just don't find a way again," he added.
Also Read: 3 things Edmonton Oilers did wrong in Game 3 loss to Dallas Stars
Connor McDavid scores 100th career playoff point
McDavid picked up two points in the matchup and took his playoff career tally to 100 points. He became the fourth-fastest player in the league to achieve this feat in 64 playoff games.
McDavid and teammate Leon Draisaitl are both tied at 25 points as the leading scorers in the postseason. Adam Henrique and Zach Hyman were the other scorers for the Oilers in the matchup.
Meanwhile, Jason Robertson scored his first playoff hat trick, while Miro Heiskanen and Wyatt Johnson scored a goal each for the Stars in the win.
Game 4 returns to Rogers Place on Wednesday.
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