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Draisaitl jabs Silovs: 'Post is not good goaltending'

Paul Swanson / National Hockey League / Getty

Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl opted not to credit Arturs Silovs' performance after Sunday's Game 3 despite the Vancouver Canucks goaltender shining in a 42-save victory.

"Post is not good goaltending," Draisaitl said after the Oilers' 4-3 loss to fall 2-1 in their second-round series. "We can certainly do a better job of bearing down and capitalizing on our looks."

Edmonton controlled 65.25% of the shot attempts, 63.41% of the scoring chances, and 62.73% of the expected goals in Game 3 while carrying a significant advantage during five-on-five play. But the Oilers struggled to make the most of their opportunities by ringing it off the post several times.

Draisaitl produced a goal, an assist, and five shots in nearly 30 minutes of ice time in the loss.

"I thought we were the better team, for the most part," Draisaitl said. "In my eyes, it should have resulted in a win, but you know that's not the way hockey works sometimes. We'll just regroup and get ready for Game 4."

The Canucks converted four goals on 18 shots, prompting the Oilers to pull Stuart Skinner for Calvin Pickard to start the third period. Edmonton head coach Kris Knoblauch said postgame that he believes Skinner will bounce back.

"We need more saves," Knoblauch said, per NHL.com's Gerry Moddejonge. "Tonight's one that he would like to have back, and we'll see what he's got in the future, whether that's Game 4 or Game 5 or whatever it is. But we'll be seeing Stu again, and I have no doubt that he'll respond and play well."

Skinner's save percentage is down to .877 in eight games this postseason. Silovs is operating on a .908 clip since being thrust into goal in the first round after injuries to Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith.

Game 4 is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. ET Tuesday.

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