Oilers Hang On in Win Over Rangers: Timeout Blunder Ends in Laughs

It wasn't the prettiest of wins, but the Edmonton Oilers will take it. A brilliant performance from goaltender Devon Levi let the Oilers walk away unscathed with two more points and an unexpected, funny story.

The Oilers never trailed in this contest, but they often didn't feel like they were leading the Rangers, who forced Edmonton to bend but not break. Perhaps the best example was a blown 5-on-3 momentum killer that could have swung the game in the New York Rangers’ favor. A series of untimely decisions led to the Rangers getting within a goal. Fortunately, it wasn't costly, and head coach Mike Babcock found the positives in a gritty but unpolished win.

In fact, he was all laughs.

One could argue this wasn't the kind of game a detail-oriented coach would find funny.  The Oilers had a chance to put the game away after going up 2-0 and earning a two-man advantage. Instead, the Rangers cut the lead when Jaroslav Chmelar stepped out of the penalty box onto a breakaway and beat Levi over the glove. Suddenly, it was a game.

That could have been a turning point, and one that left Oilers coach fuming. With the top power-play unit on the ice for an extended shift, it was a tactical error. But instead of dwelling on it, Babcock owned the mistake and had a story to tell.

“When we got to five on three, I said to Hymes (Hyman), because it looked like it was going to drop right away, ‘I’m probably better off taking a timeout. I don’t want to call it right now. I want to leave it as long as we can,’” he said.

“Well, after it went on for a half hour, I wasn’t going to call the timeout. I hadn’t yelled at him (Hyman). So then he called the timeout. And we had a pretty good laugh.”

Babcock said it was funny mostly because the team has some unwritten bylaws no one knows about.

“We’ve got a few rules that cost you a little money for the Children’s Cancer Society. Like if you have a flat stick, or if the coach screws up. ... That one’s gotta cost you about $300,” a player told Babcock on the bench.

He knew it. That one was on him. 

At the end of the day, no harm, no foul. 

It wasn’t the kind of win the Oilers would have drawn up on paper. They looked outplayed and were chasing the game at times, despite holding the lead throughout. Still, Babcock called it an important two points and the kind of win that’s good for a club.  

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