Robertson: 1st goal convinced me to 'shoot everything'
Dallas Stars sniper Jason Robertson entered Game 3 on Monday without a goal in his last 10 contests. He left Rogers Place in Edmonton with three goals on the night, including the game-winner.
Robertson believes that the drought-ending first goal gave him the confidence to score the next two.
"I got the first one and then I'm like, 'OK, I'm going to shoot everything,'" he told Sportsnet postgame. "It's one of those things. You just gain confidence."
The shoot-everything mentality paid huge dividends, as Robertson's hat-trick goal came from a sharp angle on which most players would likely opt to pass or hang on to the puck. Instead, Robertson got Oilers goalie Stuart Skinner to bite on an inside fake, which created a tiny sliver of an opening to bank the puck off the netminder and in.
JASON ROBERTSON BURIES IT FOR THE HATTY! pic.twitter.com/TG1hAqugeJ
- Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 28, 2024
"It's a lot of work with our goalies in practice," Robertson said. "We learn stuff. I can credit my goalie coach on that one. Just making a play there. I don't know if I would've done that if I didn't score two goals."
Tyler Seguin, who assisted on a pair of Robertson's goals, thought his linemate might even pot another after scoring what he described as a vintage "Robo" goal.
"Honestly, I thought he was going to maybe get four," Seguin said postgame about Robertson. "He was just having one of those nights. His third goal was the most 'Robo' goal you're going to score."
Also pivotal to Robertson's big night was the return of his center, Roope Hintz, who assisted on two of Robertson's goals in his first game back from injury. Hintz hadn't played since May 13 in Round 2.
"Everyone notices his presence on the ice," Robertson said of Hintz. "You can see that speed."
The Oilers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period before the Stars scored three straight. Edmonton tied it late in the second before Robertson's winner in the third. Miro Heiskanen added the empty-netter for a 5-3 win.
Robertson is now up to six goals and 10 assists in 16 games this postseason.
Copyright (C) 2024 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.