3 things Edmonton Oilers did wrong in Game 3 loss to Dallas Stars 

The Edmonton Oilers dropped Game 3 of the Western Conference finals to the Dallas Stars, 5-3. The Oilers started the game on fire but fizzled away as the contest progressed. Edmonton gave up a 2-0 lead, eventually finding themselves down 4-3 late in the third.

While the Edmonton Oilers fought back to tie the game, entering the third, they had little momentum to keep them going into the third.

Here's a closer look at three things the Oilers got wrong in Game 3 against Dallas.

3 things Edmonton Oilers got wrong in Game 3

#1. Oilers could not sustain their momentum

The Oilers dominated the first period. They led 2-0 heading into the first intermission. Zach Hyman opened the scoring at the two-minute mark.

Then, Connor McDavid added the second goal for Edmonton following a nifty play from defenseman Mattias Ekholm, spun around the net. As Ekholm shot the puck, Tyler Seguin could not control McDavid, knocking the puck in himself.

That display of force from the Edmonton Oilers quietly went away. Dallas took over the second period as Jason Robertson scored two goals. Wyatt Johnston added a third goal in the period, leaving the Oilers down 3-2.

In the third, Dallas locked the game down, leaving the Oilers without much hope of mounting a comeback.

#2. Oilers could not stop Jason Robertson

Jason Robertson had a whale of a game, ending the night with a hat trick. He was sensational in nearly 17 minutes of ice time. The Oilers’ defense could not find any way to stop him.

But there was another factor at play: the return of Roope Hintz. Hintz assisted on Robertson’s first two goals, making Hintz the secret weapon in Dallas’ attack. Hintz’s return enabled Dallas to add more scoring depth while shoring up the defensive side of the game.

The Oilers will need to find a way to keep Hintz in check, as Hintz hurt the Edmonton Oilers at both ends of the ice.

#3. Oilers’ fourth line was a nonfactor again

Kris Knoblauch essentially rolled out three lines as the trio of Sam Carrick, Mattias Janmark and Derek Ryan did not factor into the game. Ryan played a team-low 7:41, while Janmark logged just under 10 minutes.

The Oilers’ fourth line will need to contribute much more than just eating up minutes in between Connor McDavid shifts.

In contrast, Dallas fourth-line center Sam Steel logged over 13 minutes, providing the Stars with much-needed grit. Strong fourth-line shifts can swing momentum throughout games, as the Stars displayed tonight.

The Oilers may need to shake their line combinations up heading into Game 4 on Wednesday at Rogers Place to avoid falling into a 3-1 series deficit.