TALBOT WANTS ‘A GRADE-A GAME’ AGAINST BLUES
Netminder working with goalie coach during dry spell dating back to Oct. 28
Cam Talbot isn’t just a masked man, he’s a forgotten man in Oiler Nation.
With Mikko Koskinen’s hot air balloon ride these last five weeks, he’s become the darling of the fan base, while Talbot, who had started 140 of 164 games over the last two seasons, has been shoved aside in their affections. Probably because hockey is a, “What have you done for us lately?” business.
“When a guy is playing as well as him (Koskinen) and winning games, that’s what you expect,” said Talbot. “I have to get back to playing my game.”
Next up: the St. Louis Blues on Wednesday night.
He’s not the only starter struggling. Carey Price has an .898 save percentage in Montreal. San Jose’s Martin Jones (.894), Calgary’s Mike Smith (.886) and Minnesota’s Devan Dubnyk (.909) are also having trouble.
But in a completely baffling scenario, Talbot hasn’t won a game since Oct. 28 in Chicago, losing the last six starts as he tries to hit 100 wins as an Oilers goalie.
“I didn’t know that (stat) until Gene (Principe of Sportsnet) brought that up. It hadn’t crossed my mind,” Talbot said.
He has wondered about the six inches between his ears as much as the four-by-six-foot net he’s guarding.
He said he has to make the saves he’s not supposed to, not just the ones he’s supposed to. He said he’ll know if he’s back not just after a win, but after a strong, confident game.
“As soon as the buzzer goes, I’ll know. I’ll be able to tell if I’m dialed in, if I make a big save ... if my reads are sharp and right on, if I’m moving the puck to our defencemen, the little things to stay engaged in the game. If they’re tight and sharp, that’s when you’re confident,” he said.
“You know when it’s a Grade A or Grade B game.”
Talbot has sat for seven of the last nine games while Koskinen has played, but he figures he’s ripe for not only a win, but a game where he can leave the ice knowing he’s back.
With all the remedial work with goalie coach Dustin Schwartz, he needs a strong effort.
Has he got all the bugs out of his game?
“Hope so. I guess we’ll find out (Wednesday),” said Talbot, who has a 5-9-1 record, an .889 save percentage and a 3.29 goalagainst average to Koskinen’s 8-3-1, .925 save percentage and 2.23 GAA.
Any bugs specifically?
“There’s a few things, but, yeah, that’s between him (Schwartz) and I ... just little tweaks,” he said.
Talbot knows he has to be better at reading offensive plays. When a goalie’s on top of his game, he’s reading where pucks and shots are going even before they happen.
So his head space is back to where it should be?
“I don’t think I’ve given up a whole lot of weak goals, but I need the big saves to keep us in close games. In the L.A. game, I made a couple. I thought it was one of my best games in a while, but I still ended up giving up the one in the third to (Anze) Kopitar when it was tied. If I make it, we maybe get a point, get it to overtime,” said Talbot, who was beat by Kopitar on a breakaway.
“He came in with a lot of speed off the far side and with a guy like that you have to honour that he might beat you across the crease and he’ll go to his backhand, but he went forehand ... a good move by an all-world player.”
Oilers captain Connor McDavid is pulling for him.
“I thought he (Talbot) was dynamite in L.A., but we didn’t score enough goals for him ... we all know he’s got it in him to get back (to where he was). He did it early in the season,” said McDavid.
So when Koskinen puts up an 8-3-1 record over 12 starts, what is Talbot thinking ?
Probably that he wants the crease, something he has owned for at least the previous two seasons. But he’s always been a cheerleader.
“I’ve always been a professional who supports his partner and his teammates,” he said.
Talbot knew he was getting the Blues start before the two-game trip, although maybe that plan would have changed if Koskinen had blanked the Stars Monday rather than lost 4-1.
But this is Talbot’s game and Oilers coach Ken Hitchcock would love a No. 1 and No. 1A situation.
“What we need is a better rhythm, it’s too spaced out (the starts) for me,” said Hitchcock, who has only played Talbot once of his seven games as coach. “The gap between playing is too big and it’s something we’re going to discuss as a coaching staff when we get back to Edmonton.”
I don’t think I’ve given up a whole lot of weak goals, but I need the big saves to keep us in close games. In the L.A. game (Thursday), I made a couple.