Stanley Cup Playoffs Day 38: Robertson hat trick leads Stars rally to 5-3 win in Game 3

Scott Maxwell
Scott Maxwell(scotmaxw)
May 27, 2024, 23:20 EDT
Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson
Credit: © Perry Nelson

After two incredible games in Dallas, the Western Conference Final makes its way to Edmonton with the series tied. Both teams had some reinforcements as well, as Roope Hintz was back in the lineup for the Dallas Stars, and Adam Henrique made his return for the Edmonton Oilers.

It’d didn’t take long for Edmonton’s home ice advantage to take in effect, as they came out of the gate flying. They pressured the Stars to start the game, and it took only 2:02 into the game before Connor McDavid put the puck on net, with it then bouncing off of Zach Hyman and in the net to open the scoring.

And then five minutes later, Mattias Ekholm carried the puck around the net, got the puck to McDavid on the back door, and the Oilers captain fought off some tied sticks to get the puck past Jake Oettinger and give Edmonton a 2-0 lead, as well as his 100th career playoff point. They continued to put the pressure on the Stars, outshooting them 10-3 and out-chancing them 12-3, but no more goals were scored in the period.

But in the second period, the tables turned. It was the Stars who came out of the gate with plenty of pressure, and five minutes in, Jason Robertson blasted a one-timer past Stuart Skinner and made it a one-goal game with his first goal in 11 games.

Two and a half minutes later, Robertson threw the puck on net, and amidst the chaos the loose puck created, he snuck in and buried the puck on the back hand for his second of the game and the game-tying goal.

And then to finish off the flurry of goals, 63 seconds later we saw Jamie Benn set up a driving Logan Stankoven in the offensive zone, and after losing the puck, it went straight on to the stick of Wyatt Johnston in front of the net to give the Stars the lead with their third goal in 3:33.

The Oilers looked to be in trouble with all the momentum in the Stars favour, but Henrique came to the rescue with 53 seconds left in the second to tie the game and put an end to Dallas’ run.

While the first two periods saw both teams take their turn dominating, the third period was like a chess match: not a lot of chances, and both teams meticulously plotting to find a time to strike.

It’s only fitting that with that being how the game was going that the next goal went the way it did. When the Stars had their turn in the offensive zone, Tyler Seguin dropped the puck to Robertson, who waited until he had what seemed to be the worst angle possible to score a goal, and he jammed it past Skinner, and somehow it went in. Robertson had his first career playoff hat trick, and the Stars had a 4-3 lead with just over eight minutes left in the game.

Edmonton pressed hard for the tying goal, but they couldn’t muster anything thanks to the play of the Stars defense and of Oettinger in the crease. Miro Heiskanen put the nail in the coffin with the empty net goal, and the Stars would take a 2-1 series lead with the 5-3 win.

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