Goaltending For The Edmonton Oilers Sparks A Comeback Win Over The Calgary Flames
from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,
Like the Grinch who stole Christmas, somewhere between the first and second periods on Saturday night, the Edmonton Oilers' hearts grew three times in size.
A game that began like so many others of late, with the Calgary Flames holding a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes, did not end the way the past seven — or 13 of the previous 15 — had for the Oilers.
Somewhere along the way the bad goalie, the horrible power play and the unproductive superstars wrote different endings to their stories, and the Oilers snapped a seven-game losing streak with a dramatic 5-3 win over the Flames.
“When you are losing, you feel like you have that cloud or that pressure on your shoulders. You grip your stick a little bit too tight,” said Leon Draisaitl, whose four-point night included the game-winner with 5:31 to play and an empty netter just as the final horn sounded. “This was a big night for a lot of guys. You relieve a little bit of pressure and maybe don’t grip your stick as tight. That swagger is a huge part of confidence. Tonight was a big night for us.”
Undoubtedly, the best story all evening was goaltender Mikko Koskinen, who has been bombarded with criticism more than any single figure in the NHL over the past couple of weeks.
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Catch the game highlights below....
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