Oilers tormented by hockey gods in frustrating loss to Predators

NASHVILLE One day, the Edmonton Oilers will look back at this game and laugh.

Just not today. And probably not tomorrow.

It’s going to take a few wins to wash away the taste of Tuesday night’s 2-1 loss to the Nashville Predators. You have to admit, the hockey gods outdid themselves with this one.

Nashville’s winning goal was made possible by Adam Larsson’s face. Edmonton’s tying goal late in the third period gets wiped out by a skate blade a millimetre off the ice some 45 seconds earlier.

Connor McDavid goes in on a breakaway with a Nashville stick literally stuck in his pants and both referees decide not to call hooking.

On a night when the Oilers played well enough to win, it almost seemed like fate wanted to have a little fun with them first.

“It stings,” said Mark Letestu, who thought he’d tied it with five minutes left in the third period, right up until they took his goal off the board. “I thought we were really good all night. Really solid. It’s just funny, the way the breaks are going right now.

“Their second goal goes off our guy’s face and sits in the crease for them. We get what seems like a goal, and it’s a very small infraction for the offside.

“That’s just the way things are going right now. It’s very difficult not to be frustrated, but it’s a useless emotion at this point. We just have to keep working.”

Patrick Maroon could only shake his head at how the night unfolded.

“These are the breaks that we got last year, that we’re not getting this year,” he said.

The offside rule is insanely stupid. If a skate is onside, why wipe out a goal because the blade is off the ice? It makes no sense for a league trying to figure out how to generate more offence.

“If we were on the other side, we would love the rule, but I ultimately feel they should just take the rule out,” said McDavid. “The number of calls that are a millimetre offside 45 seconds before the play don’t have much of an effect on the goal itself. I think the fans want to see offence and that’s going to hold back from offence.”

And the stuff referees are letting teams get away with on McDavid also goes against the mandate that the league’s most skilled players should be allowed to demonstrate that skill.

There’s nothing the Oilers can do about it now but shake their heads at another loss. But keep playing like that and they’ll be able to laugh at this one sooner than they think.

“I thought tonight we worked hard enough for a break,” said McLellan. “... If we play like that, we’ll have our opportunity to win games. It’s a step in the right direction.”