Edmonton Oilers just saved their season with huge Game 3 win

The Edmonton Oilers saved their season with a huge Game 3 victory over the LA Kings, 7-4, on Friday night at Rogers Place.

Entering Game 3, the Oilers were staring at the possibility of a 3-0 deficit. And while the Oilers are not out of the woods yet, they are now one win away from leveling the series. A loss would have meant a virtually insurmountable hole, leaving Edmonton fans searching for answers.

But that is not the case heading into Game 4. The Oilers’ offense finally exploded. They got seven goals, including a controversial game-tying marker from Evander Kane in the third period, one that led to a bizarre series of events that transformed a 4-3 Kings’ lead to a 5-4 Oilers advantage.

Perhaps the biggest outcome of Game 3 is that the momentum is now squarely on the Oilers’ side. The buzz the Kings had generated following their 6-2 thumping of Edmonton in Game 2 was erased in a heartbeat.

Edmonton now looks to be in control of the series moving forward. That control, however, hinges on the Oilers following up their Game 3 heroics with an equally impressive Game 4. If that’s the case, Edmonton could lock up the series at 2-2, potentially continuing their winning ways in Los Angeles.

A Game 4 win would also mean that the home team would have won each game in the series. That’s a trend the Oilers will have to snap if they want to claim the series. That means either winning Game 5 on the road or waiting till Game 7 to do it.

If you ask me, I’d rather win Game 5 and wrap up the series at home than have this opening-round affair go to seven. But don’t be surprised if it does.

Stuart Skinner might have played his last game this postseason for Edmonton Oilers

Kris Knoblauch turned to Calvin Pickard to start Game 3 in hopes of finding an answer to his team’s underwhelming performance.

While Pickard wasn’t brilliant, he was good enough to keep the Kings back and allow the Oilers enough time to pull off the win. Given Pickard’s solid outing, it means that Stuart Skinner will likely have played his last game this postseason.

Unless Pickard gets hurt or suddenly falls apart, Knoblauch will ride the career backup goalie until the wheels fall off.

If Pickard can provide reliable goaltending, not necessarily spectacular Andrei Vasilevsky-type goaltending, the Oilers should be in a good spot. As long as their defense and goaltending are serviceable, the Oilers have an offense that can outscore just about anyone.

In the meantime, Pickard will more than likely get the call for Game 4. Another decent outing like the one in Game 3 will give Edmonton a fighting chance to even the series. Let’s hope the Oilers can pull together and show why they’re Stanley Cup favorites.

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