Skinner leaves game, awful 2nd period, and more: 3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers lost 4-3 to Dallas Stars

The Edmonton Oilers lost 4-3 to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night at Rogers Place. The Oilers nearly came back from a 4-0 deficit to force overtime. However, the Oilers ran out of time and could not cap off a miraculous third-period rally.

Corey Perry and Adam Henrique scored on the power play for the Edmonton Oilers, with Zach Hyman making the game close with less than two minutes to play. Meanwhile, Jason Robertson had a hat trick for the Dallas Stars, scoring twice in the second period, with Wyatt Johnston adding the other tally for the Stars.

Here’s a look at the three key reasons why the Edmonton Oilers lost to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday night.

3 reasons why Edmonton Oilers lost to Dallas Stars

#3 McDavid, Draisaitl's absence felt

The Edmonton Oilers deserve a ton of credit for coming back from a 4-0 deficit despite the absence of their two best players. Instead of folding for the night, the Oilers rallied to score three unanswered goals in the third period.

Nevertheless, one can’t help but wonder if the outcome would have been significantly different if Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl had been in the lineup. With both players’ penchant for late-game heroics, there’s plenty of reason to believe the Oilers could have pulled an amazing comeback.

#2 Awful 2nd period

Speaking of the Edmonton Oilers’ comeback falling short, rallying from a 4-0 deficit would not have been necessary had the Oilers played a much better second period. In the middle frame, Jason Robertson put on a clinic, scoring a natural hat trick.

The awful second period essentially doomed the Edmonton Oilers as they dominated the rest of the way. The Oilers outshot the Stars 14-5 in the first and 17-5 in the third.

It was the middle frame where the Dallas Stars made the most of their scoring chances to take the lead and grab the victory.

#1 Skinner left the game

For the second time in three games, Stuart Skinner left the game in the third period. This time, it looks like the injury is serious and not a precautionary measure.

Here’s a look at the incident:

The replay showed significant contact between Skinner and Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen. Skinner’s head whipped back as he tried to play the puck, leaving him lying on the ice. While Skinner appeared to be okay, he left the game due to concussion protocols.

Following the game, Sportsnet reported coach Kris Knoblauch’s comments, stating that Skinner will not be traveling to Seattle with the team for their upcoming game against the Kraken on Thursday night.

Calvin Pickard will get the call against the Kraken, with Skinner’s status still up in the air for the game against the Calgary Flames on Saturday night.