The Oilers can't hold on to a third-period lead for the second straight on Tuesday after falling to 6-5-4 on the season with a 4-3 shootout defeat to the Stars at American Airlines Center
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DALLAS, TX – Forward Mikko Rantanen recorded two goals and an assist, and centre Wyatt Johnston had three helpers for the Dallas Stars to power their comeback effort on Tuesday night in a 4-3 shootout victory over the Edmonton Oilers at American Airlines Centre.
For the second time in as many nights, the Oilers couldn’t hold on to a two-goal lead in the third period, building themselves a two-goal lead heading into the first intermission off goals from Jack Roslovic and Leon Draisaitl before captain Connor McDavid made it 3-1 before the midway mark of the final frame.
After Rantanen notched his first of the night 9:10 into the middle frame, the Finnish forward would start the Dallas comeback just 47 seconds following McDavid’s fourth goal of the season before he assisted on Miro Heiskanen’s equalizer just under four minutes later to force the game to overtime.
After nothing came of sudden death, Johnston would score the decisive marker in the shootout to condemn the Oilers to back-to-back comeback defeats.
McDavid finished with a goal and an assist, while Jack Roslovic extended his point streak to four games (2G, 3A) with two helpers.
Netminder Stuart Skinner stopped 24 of 27 shots in the defeat, which dropped Edmonton’s record to 6-5-4 this season.
The Oilers will have a three-day break before hosting the Colorado Avalanche at Rogers Place on Saturday night to begin a two-game homestand before they hit the road next week for a season-long seven-game, 13-day road trip out East.
EDM at DAL | Recap
The last time the Oilers were in this building, they were crowned Western Conference Champions for the second straight year at the expense of the Stars, and Tuesday’s start was reminiscent of their triumph in Game 5 of that series with two quick goals – one coming on the power play – to take early control.
Corey Perry and Mattias Janmark each scored on Edmonton’s opening two shots in a 4:38 span of last season’s Game 5 between these two sides, chasing netminder Jake Oettinger inside the first eight minutes of their eventual 6-3 victory and second straight berth in the Stanley Cup Final.
Just as Casey DeSmith couldn’t solidify the crease that night in relief, he was under siege almost immediately after making tonight’s start in place of Oettinger, watching Vasily Podkolzin open the scoring 3:40 into the contest off a terrific individual play from Jack Roslovic to set up his Russian linemate.
Podkolzin finishes Roslovic’s terrific drive early in the first period
After dropping the puck off to Evan Bouchard as the Oilers changed, Roslovic got the puck back near the penalty box and protected the puck with one hand on his stick against Thomas Harley, outmuscling the Stars defenceman and throwing a one-handed pass across to a wide-open Podkolzin to finish it off for an early 1-0 Oilers lead.
Roslovic would pick up a pair of assists in the first period to extend his point streak to four games (2G, 3A) and give himself seven points in his last six games after only recording one helper in his first seven appearances, looking more and more each game like a capable top-six option the Oilers have been searching for to play alongside Leon Draisaitl.
Draisaitl buries a power-play goal from a tight angle to make it 2-0
The 28-year-old’s also been terrific in the net-front role on the Oilers’ power play in place of the injured Zach Hyman, and he helped set up his even-strength linemate Draisaitl from the tightest of angles on the power play 3:27 later to double Edmonton’s lead to 2-0 on the German’s 10th goal of the season.
Connor McDavid moved the puck to the top of the circle for Roslovic, who moved it down to Draisaitl along the goal line to uncork a deceptive one-timer from an impossible angle that snuck inside the left post past DeSmith to make it a two-goal Oilers’ lead, tying the German for the League lead in goals.
Thanks to Draisaitl’s sixth PPG of the season, the Oilers took a two-goal lead into the intermission and have now scored with the man advantage in four straight games (5-for-9) and eight of their last nine games (11-for-22).
Ryan talks after the Oilers 4-3 shootout defeat to the Stars on Tuesday night
The Moose was on the loose.
The Stars nearly got a goal back in the first 10 seconds of the second period when Jason Robertson chipped it behind the defence to a streaking Mikko Rantanen, who came in on a breakaway and stuck the left post behind Stuart Skinner for a huge early let-off for the Oilers early in the middle frame.
However, the elite Finnish forward wouldn’t be denied nine minutes later on the power play after Wyatt Johnston shovelled a backhand on goal that caught the iron and bounced across the crease into the path of Rantanen, who batted home the loose puck to cut the Oilers’ lead to 2-1 before the midway mark.
Rantanen’s first goal of the night had the Oilers protecting a slim one-goal lead through 40 minutes, with the shots 19-12 in favour of the Stars, who were relying upon their superstar top line of Rantanen. Johnston and Robertson heavily with Roope Hintz, Jamie Benn and Matt Duchene out of their lineup.
Kris addressed the media following the Oilers shootout defeat in Texas
For the second time in as many nights, a two-goal lead for the Oilers in the third period wouldn’t result in two points.
Connor McDavid’s fourth goal of the campaign 7:51 into the final frame gave the Oilers some breathing room up two goals on the Stars, but their response just 46 seconds later through Rantanen’s second of the night was followed up just under four minutes later to make it all square at 3-3 and force overtime.
McDavid struck the post on a two-on-one with Podkolzin early in the period, but the Oilers captain wouldn’t be denied a few minutes after his next opportunity came off a nice exchange with his linemates following Mangiapane’s takeaway on Mavrik Bourque just outside the Dallas zone.
Mangiapane stole the puck and attacked back over the blueline before dishing it over to Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, who found McDavid wide open on the far side in the left circle to snap home his fourth goal of the season over the right shoulder of DeSmith to make it 3-1 for the Oilers.
McDavid notches his fourth of the season to make it 3-1 in the third
But the Stars still had time on their side, and less than a minute later, a neutral-zone regroup started by Edmonton product Alex Petrovic resulted in Rantanen being unlocked by Wyatt Johnston in the slot on a three-on-two that he snapped past Stuart Skinner to make it 3-2 with his second goal of the game.
Just under four minutes later, Rantanen picked up a fortunate assist on the Stars’ equalizer, having Johnston’s wide shot go off his skate and bounce off the backboards and onto the waiting stick of Miro Heiskanen to put it past a diving Skinner to tie the game.
We were heading to overtime.
After the Stars looked the more likely to score in sudden death, we’d need the skills competition to decide a winner, where Johnston would have the opportunity to secure the extra point for the Stars after Leon Draisaitl and Jason Robertson each converted their shootout opportunities.
In the second round, Robertson got Skinner to drop before beating him top shelf to give Dallas the advantage, but Draisaitl responded beautifully right with a Peter Forsberg-esque finish by putting it back across DeSmith beyond his outstretched right pad after he dragged him out of position to his left.
Rantanen missing his chance wide opened up the opportunity for Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to put the Oilers in striking distance of the extra point, but No. 93 was stopped in his tracks by DeSmith, leaving Johnston with the decisive chance to win the game.
The young centre didn’t waste it, beating Skinner glove side to cap off a 4-3 comeback victory for the Stars.
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