Oilers HC Kris Knoublauch hints at major Connor McDavid-Leon Draisaitl decision after Game 3 loss to Golden Knights

Connor McDavid and the Edmonton Oilers had their hearts broken in Game 3 of their second-round series against the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday night.

The Oilers captain tied the game at 3 with 3:02 remaining in the third period. Rogers Place was electric, and the momentum was all in Edmonton's favor. The Oilers came close to scoring a fourth in regulation, but it all ended in nightmare fashion.

William Karlsson centered the puck to Reilly Smith, who patiently outwaited goaltender Stuart Skinner to bury the game-winning goal with just 0.4 seconds left in regulation. The thought of a 3-0 series stranglehold was gone, as Vegas cut the deficit to 2-1 at the buzzer.

Edmonton will return to the drawing board for what becomes a pivotal Game 4 on Monday night. Coach Kris Knoblauch was mixing up his lines throughout Game 3 and was asked on Sunday what goes into the decision of whether to play McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the same line moving forward.

"I think the biggest thing is who's playing well and who's playing well together," Knoblauch said. "And, you know, we'll make that decision."

"And we've played almost every single game with Leon and Connor, separated for part of the games and playing together. The last few games, they've been playing more together than they have been separated. So yeah, we'll make that decision tomorrow."

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The Oilers have been getting contributions from all over the lineup in these playoffs, which has allowed Knoblauch to keep McDavid and Draisaitl on the same line for the majority of the time.

Connor McDavid almost willed his team to a Game 3 win

It was a vintage Connor McDavid performance on Saturday night.

The 28-year-old picked up another two points (one goal, one assist) in the Game 3 loss. McDavid got off to a quick start, setting up Corey Perry’s first goal of the game, and then had an unusually quiet second period.

But the superstar center came out firing on all cylinders in the final frame. McDavid was unstoppable and finally broke through with the game-tying goal. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to secure a victory.

Expect more brilliance from Connor McDavid when the Oilers attempt to take a 3-1 series lead over the Vegas Golden Knights at home in Game 4 on Monday night. The puck drops at 9:30 p.m. EST at Rogers Place.