Calgary Flames' Milan Lucic ejected from Game 3 loss for charging Edmonton Oilers goalie Mike Smith

Mike Smith was half a period away from shutting out the Calgary Flames in Game 3 of Edmonton's second-round Stanley Cup playoff series on Sunday.

And then came Milan Lucic.

Calgary trailed 4-0 midway through the third period when Lucic barreled into Smith while he played the puck behind Edmonton's net.

The collision was bad enough that NHL concussion spotters forced Smith out of the game to be evaluated. Smith was clearly irate about the decision, arguing fruitlessly with referees to stay in the crease. He did finally exit, replaced by backup Mikko Koskinen.

Lucic was assessed a five-minute penalty for charging and a game misconduct — an automatic ejection — for his part in the incident. But following the Flames' eventual 4-1 loss, Calgary coach Darryl Sutter said he believed Lucic made a real effort to cushion the blow.

«They called [it a penalty for] charging, correct? Can you imagine if Looch did charge?» Sutter said. «What would have happened there? He actually tried to slow it down a little bit, I think. But it is what it is, it's the score [being 4-0] and who it was and that's what they called.»

Smith was also admittedly confused about how that play was assessed.

«I don't think my head hit anything,» he said. «My helmet came off, but I didn't get hit in the head. I didn't really know what happened. I was playing the puck, and the next thing I know, I'm getting buried into the end boards.»

Before that, the veteran goaltender was finally in his element after a tough start to the Battle of Alberta. Smith was pulled from Game 1 after allowing three goals on nine shots in a 9-6 Oilers loss. He rebounded well with a 37-save showing in a 5-3 Game 2 victory and had made 28 saves on Sunday prior to being removed.

Koskinen