Jake Allen was the biggest reason the Edmonton Oilers lost last night.
Jake Allen was the biggest reason the Edmonton Oilers lost last night.
EDMONTON -- Luck, sometimes you have it, other times you don't.
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The Edmonton Oilers didn't have it last night.
Moneypuck pegged the Oilers for 3.35 expected goals. They fired 31 shots on goal.
They still come up short.
"Have to find a way to find an ugly one," Adam Henrique told the media after the game. Indeed, crowding the net to create more chaos and prevent Jake Allen from seeing the puck would have played out in the Oilers' favor.
But unfortunately, it simply did not materialize.
The goals didn't happen for lack of trying; the Oilers are great at generating high-danger chances. Natural Stat Trick has them ranked second this season in that statistic, something Kris Knoblauch echoed in his post-game scrum.
"I think we are second in the league in shots from the slot," Knoblauch revealed. The team that is ranked third? The New Jersey Devils.
Go figure.
Allen played one of his best games of the season last night. Sometimes you run into a hot goalie. But that can't be a reason for the Oilers to throw in the towel. Instead, they must throw everything and the kitchen sink at the goalie.
And that's exactly what they did.
Admittedly, the Oilers could have done more in the third period. They out-shot them 8-3 in the final frame and 18-6 in the final 40 minutes.
This is one of those games where you tip your hat to the other team's goalie, and move on to the next game.
Because in the next game, your luck might change.
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