Oilers lose last-second overtime heartbreaker to Avalanche
The Edmonton Oilers got a point, but the Colorado Avalanche took home the 3-2 overtime victory off the back of a goal from Artturi Lehkonen with less than a second left in the extra frame.
It was Nathan MacKinnon winning a battle in the corner against Evan Bouchard and Leon Draisaitl failing to disrupt the pass that ultimately led to the heartbreaker.
“Need a little half a second more awareness at the end of the game,” Draisaitl told reporters after the game. “I lost my guy there and the games over but, in all, I thought it was a good game.”
LEHKY IN THE DYING SECONDS ā¼ļø
An insane game in Edmonton is capped off with a @SUBWAYCanada OT winner from Artturi Lehkonen. pic.twitter.com/dafr2mTK4c
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 17, 2024
The loss put a damper on a third-period comeback that saw the Oilers erase a 1-0 deficit in favour of a 2-1 lead thanks to Sam Carrick’s first goal in an Oilers uniform and Warren Foegele’s career-high 16th of the season.
It might not have been in a winning effort, but Carrick is still happy to be on the board with his new team.
“It’s nice to get the first one, especially at home here,” Carrick told the media. “It was a fun game, fast-paced game, but obviously it would be nice to get the two points.”
Sam Carrick you ARE an Edmonton Oiler. š«µ pic.twitter.com/6Hyjn23eZy
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 17, 2024
It wasn’t the usual suspects on the other end terrorizing Edmonton. Instead, trade deadline addition Sean Walker got the other two goals for Colorado, including a tying goal with about five minutes left to play. He nearly got the hat trick on a breakaway in OT but was denied by Stuart Skinner.
Skinner played a great game between the pipes for the Oilers. He turned away 40 of the 43 shots he faced, including a Jonathan Drouin penalty shot in the second period.
“I thought it was a playoff game for sure,” Skinner told reporters. “I think both teams obviously brought it, it was a really good game.”
EDM COL G65. March 16, 2024. Jonathan Drouin penalty shot. š„: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/Wj3Y5sObwf
— Nation Network Media (@NationNMedia) March 17, 2024
Head coach Kris Knoblauch also revealed that defenceman Vincent Desharnais, who got into a fight late in the second period against Josh Manson, may be dealing with an injury.
Desharnais and Manson drops mitts! š
šŗ: Sportsnet
š²: Stream on Sportsnet+ pic.twitter.com/0dNr9EaMTd— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 17, 2024
It was Edmonton’s fourth loss in extra time this season, as their record now reads 40-21-4 and 84 points. That’s still five points ahead of the third-place LA Kings in the Pacific Division.
The Oilers also got some help on the out-of-town scoreboard as well, with the Vancouver Canucks losing in regulation to the Washington Capitals. Edmonton is now just eight points behind Vancouver for the division lead with three games in hand.
They will try to chip away at that lead as they take on the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday night at Rogers Place.
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