Brossoit poised to make rare start
Oilers’ backup shows he’s staying sharp in relief appearances against Ducks, Avs
Like any goalie worth his catching mitt, Laurent Brossoit would much rather be a starter than reliever coming out of the bullpen to, hopefully, stop the bleeding.
Remember, though, the Edmonton Oilers No. 1 netminder, Cam Talbot, went through the same thing with the New York Rangers.
So it’s baby steps for Brossoit, who was outstanding in 35 minutes against the Anaheim Ducks in Wednesday’s 4-3 loss, stopping all 16 shots he faced — maybe half of them from point-blank range — and all six in the final period against the Colorado Avalanche, when the Oilers managed to outscore several defensive mistakes over the first 40 minutes to win 7-4.
So, don’t be surprised if Brossoit gets the start against the Avalanche on Saturday night. He’s earned it (with a .928 save percentage) and Talbot, who has started all but one of the Oilers 36 home games, can take a mental breather.
Talbot has given up eight goals in his last 33 shots after stopping all 68 in back-to-back shutouts against the Vancouver Canucks and Los Angeles Kings, not that he was really that shaky on the road. The Oilers defence was continually backing into him or screening him rather than holding the line for much of the game in Anaheim and Colorado, and there was some lackadaisical backchecking by the forwards, too.
Defenceman Adam Larsson and partner Oscar Klefbom didn’t display their A-games on the trip. In Anaheim, Jordan Eberle and Zack Kassian made backchecking errors on goals. In Denver, Leon Draisaitl and Patrick Maroon, who’s had months of excellent hockey, had a very tough first period when they didn’t have the puck. Maroon was sent to the fourth line in some big line juggling by coach Todd McLellan.
Brossoit hadn’t played a minute in over a month until coming in cold in Anaheim. While the Oilers didn’t trade for an experienced backup at the deadline, they kept going with Talbot because they want to get to the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
“It’s been a test of my patience. It’s patience training. I’m learning to adapt to it, for sure,” said Brossoit, who’s had two starts — a 7-3 win over the Calgary Flames and a 4-1 loss at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Feb. 21 — and a few relief jobs at home.
“I want to play as much as possible, but circumstances like this, where we haven’t made playoffs for so long, and Cam’s been a huge part and the reason we’re in a playoff spot with a bit of a cushion,” Brossoit said. “It makes sense for them to ride the hot hand. I understand.
“I guess I’ve been preparing for anything and the games I’ll get in will be games where I’m coming in in relief. Obviously those aren’t the circumstances I want, but I’d like to contribute any way I can.”
Brossoit went a long way to earning points with the coaches in Anaheim,
It’s been a test of my patience. It’s patience training. I’m learning to adapt to it, for sure.
and kept it up in Denver.
“I hope so. That’s my job now with the small opportunities I’m getting to keep proving my worth,” he said.
Brossoit saw only six shots against the Avs, but did make a fine stop in the blue paint on Sven Andrighetto in the third period during a Colorado power play. He was an interested spectator as the Oilers charged back against Avs goalie Jeremy Smith with Kassian, Eberle and Drake Caggiula scoring and then Eberle and Draisaitl into the empty net.
“We just changed our energy level. Everyone was doing the details, the little things, the battling, and it showed,” said Brossoit.
McLellan could easily have started Brossoit in Denver on the in the second game on back-toback nights, but went with his No. 1 guy instead.
“L.B.’s been very good the last two games, no other way to put it,” McLellan said. “We’re very happy for him. He’s worked really hard for his chances. He’ll get another opportunity.”
McLellan loved his competitive fire in Anaheim.
“He was tremendous. He’s worked so hard in practice. Very tough situation going in, when they had a five on three basically.”