Goaltending not helping Oilers’ cause
Edmonton blows second third-period lead in as many games during 4-3 OT loss to Canadiens
Maybe it’s like the quote from that old German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche:
“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”
The Edmonton Oilers returned home from their quickie double-matinee road trip to Philadelphia and Montreal having blown two third-period leads to lose both games in overtime, upping their losing streak to five games.
But thanks to the loser point the NHL insists on awarding for overtime or shootout losses, they’re not dead yet in the Great Turtle Race of 2019 in the Western Conference.
Two games back from their 10-day break, the Oilers are still looking over their shoulders at the guy in goal thinking:
“Just stop the f------ puck.”
You can’t fly like an eagle if you’ve got a turkey in goal.
Sunday it was Mikko Koskinen, with his new three-year, US$13.5-million contract in the hip pocket of his hockey pants, who left the ice knowing he lost the goaltending battle in Montreal to Carey Price — just like Cam Talbot lost it to Sherwood Park product Carter Hart Saturday afternoon in Philadelphia.
Koskinen got caught way out of position on a super stinker for a wraparound second goal, then gave up a 3-2 lead in the third and the overtime goal, both on situations where expecting the save was not out of line.
As bad as the wraparound was, it was the high glove-side shot in the third period that hurt more. The Oilers had taken control of the game and coach Ken Hitchcock had to be more than happy with one and all.
In that situation, Koskinen has to stop the puck.
It wasn’t just the goalie in both Oilers losses, but both games were there to be won with good goaltending.
Edmonton didn’t get it. In Montreal, the Oilers were once again down 1-0 early, and it was another power-play goal against, making their opponents 5-for-6 with the man advantage to that point on the road trip.
In Philly, the Oilers played great early and bad late. In Montreal, it was the other way around.
For the longest time it looked, despite the way they started the game, like it was going to be situation normal for Edmonton looking for a ninth win in the last 11 games against Montreal and their seventh victory in their last eight trips to the Bell Centre.
And Habs fans got an eyeful
of the talents of Leon Draisaitl, with two goals, and Connor McDavid, with his second straight dominant display that produced a goal and an assist.
McDavid and Draisaitl in the two games against the Canadiens this year have combined for nine points.
You get the idea. A loser point on the road is generally considered an acceptable outcome in the NHL. But not for the Oilers in these two games.
But, repeat, they’re not dead yet.
With 30 games to go, the Oilers return home Tuesday to play the Chicago Blackhawks, a team that has been sneaking up to join this race to save face, having become
an eighth entry in the excruciating scramble for the two Western Conference wildcard spots.
When the Oilers caught their charter home Sunday night, they were in a four-way tie with St. Louis, Arizona and Anaheim with 51 points. Colorado had 52. And the two teams currently holding the wild-card spots are Vancouver with 54 points and Minnesota with 56. The Oilers are in Minnesota Thursday.
An 11-11-4 record on the road suggests the Oilers are a worthy playoff team. A 12-13-1 record at home — including seven losses in their last nine and the last three in a row at Rogers Place — says
they’re not.
The Oilers have but five games at home this month — Chicago, San Jose, Arizona, the N.Y. Islanders and Anaheim — and probably can’t afford to lose more than one of them.
The club entered February not having had to play a game in the Eastern time zone since Oct. 8. Now they have nothing but lengthy away games. All road dates this month are east of the Mississippi River — Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Carolina, N.Y. Islanders, Nashville, Toronto and Ottawa. (OK, the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., is technically a few blocks north of the bend in the Mississippi.)
It’s probably pointless to look beyond the next nine games. That takes them to the Feb. 25 trade deadline. If a short-term goal should be set beyond the next game, staying in contention through to the trade deadline would be it.
But the way the scramble sits coming out of the weekend, you’d have to figure this team is going to need a run resembling the 9-2-2 record Hitchcock produced in his first 13 games as Oilers head coach.
I’m not sure 0-0-2 is how you would want to start it.