The Edmonton Oilers suffered a frustrating loss to the Dallas Stars in Game 3 of the Western Conference Final, despite showcasing their best first-period performance of the playoffs. The Oilers initially took a 2-0 lead, only to see it slip away during a disastrous second period, culminating in a 5-3 defeat.

The Oilers’ performance dramatically shifted between periods. In the first, they dominated, but their second period was marred by mistakes, allowing Dallas to erase the deficit and seize control. Jason Robertson‘s hat trick for the Stars highlighted Edmonton’s defensive lapses, particularly their inability to move the puck out of their zone, a significant issue for the second and third defensive pairings. Oilers fans were particularly hard on Darnell Nurse, who struggled throughout the evening and is now a plus/minus – 12 in the playoffs.

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky aptly summarized the Oilers’ inconsistent play on TNT, stating, “Edmonton played like Bob Hope in the first period and no hope in the second period.” The Oilers’ captain, Connor McDavid, echoed this sentiment, acknowledging the team’s struggles, “Losing sucks. I won’t say we gave it away as there was 40 minutes left and we tied it, but it was a rough 12 minutes in the second.”