It wasn't a win, but what a turnaround.

Halfway through the third period Edmonton Oilers' eventual loss to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday, the mood in Rogers Place couldn't be worse. They were down 4-0, missing top two players, Zach Hyman and Evan Bouchard had their own injury scares, and Stuart Skinner was just pulled from the game after a scary collision with Mikko Rantanen. All hope was lost.

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But then they made a game of it, scoring three goals in the final ten minutes to put a real scare into the Stars. They were tantalizingly close to the comeback but just ran out of time, losing 4-3 in one of the most eventful games of their season.

Mattias Ekholm: C+

Ekholm had one of his worst half-games as an Oiler on Wednesday, holding a -3 through two periods and factoring--negatively--into all three of those goals.

Ekholm rebounded in the third, picking up an assist and salvaging a 55% expected goals share, but the veteran blueliner was uncharacteristically mistake-prone against a high-powered Stars team. He'll have to get that sorted out come the playoffs, because it's not going to get any easier from here on out.

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Zach Hyman: B

Hyman scored the Oilers' final goal, potting his 26th of the year in classic Hyman fashion to make it 4-3 with a minute and a half to go

It looked for a while like we might not see Hyman again for a long time, let alone again that night. He left the game early in the second after an awkward fall, seeming to twist his knee when he got tied up with Mason Marchment.

We've certainly seen plays like that end players' seasons before, but luckily, Hyman was okay, returning to the bench just as Evan Bouchard left after taking a shot off his foot (Bouchard would also return). Already without Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, it's hard to even imagine what the Oilers would look like with Hyman and Bouchard out as well.

Corey Perry: B+

Leave it to the veterans to rally the troops. Perry picked up a goal and an assist during the Oilers' aborted comeback as the powerplay kept humming along without its two massive turbine engines.

Perry himself left the game with regrets. Asked about his team's reaction to the Stars driving the net and injuring Skinner, Perry didn't mince words:

"I was pissed at myself," he told the media after the game. "I didn't see what happened, and that's on me, I should never let that happen."

Skinner didn't return after taking a knee to the head, and head coach Kris Knoblauch said after the game that he likely won't join the team on their one-game road trip to Seattle on Thursday. This is the second time in three games Skinner has been pulled by the concussion spotter.

The Oilers continue onto Seattle to face the Kraken, before returning home for the Battle of Alberta on Saturday.

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