Evander Kane scored three goals, Leon Draisaitl had four assists, one more than Connor McDavid, and the Oilers beat the Flames 4-1 in Game 3 of the series between the two Alberta teams.
The Oilers dominated from the first moments of the game played in Edmonton and left the Flames little room for maneuver during the game.
No goal was scored in the first period, but Jacob Markstrom had to shine a few times. The Oilers bombarded the Flames goaltender by 20 shots.
On the other end of the ice, Mike Smith received only nine pitches
The ruthless Oilers in the second
The hosts then scored four goals in the second period.
Four seconds after the end of the penalty on Elias Lindholm, Zach Hyman hit the target for the sixth time since the playoffs began. Connor McDavid sent the puck to Draisaitl, who quickly moved the puck to Hyman who was to his right.
Evander Kane scored the next three goals in six minutes.
At first, Kane held the puck in front of the Flames bench, taking advantage of some confusion, then handed the puck to Draisaitl who returned the favor. Kane just had to lift the puck over Markstrom’s pad, which was on the ground.
For the second, he redirected a pass from McDavid when he came out of the penalty box for his third goal. Connor McDavid again gave him the disc, and he defeated Markstrom with a backhand shot.
This is Kane’s second hat trick in the playoffs. He also scored three times in Game 3 of the first round against the Los Angeles Kings.
Goaltender Mike Smith was pretty busy in the second period, facing 12 shots. In particular, he had to shine in a row in front of Matthew Tkachuk and Johnny Gaudreau.
Anger flared up in the third
Dan Vladar relieved Jacob Markstrom in the third period.
We experienced a first real encounter after 9:25 of play. Milan Lucic ejected goalkeeper Mike Smith from his net, and Smith’s teammates immediately came to his rescue.
Lucic received five minutes for the charge and a misbehavior in the game. Three other Flames players and three Oilers players were also sent off. Mikko Koskinen replaced Mike Smith for a few minutes to make sure Smith would not have a concussion.
Back in front of his net, Smith allowed a first goal for the Flames when Oliver Kylington beat him with a high shot while he was out of balance.
More details to come.
Source: Radio-Canada
