Goaltender Badly Needed In Edmonton
from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,
It is more than fair to call Holland out for collecting a $5-million paycheck and not being able to figure out how to fix this problem. But don’t for a minute suggest he does not know a problem exists, and that it is fatal....
Smith stunk Wednesday and the Oilers lost. It’s a clever plot twist on “Koskinen stunk and the Oilers lost,” but the endings, you may have noticed, are similar.
“He made some saves for us as well,” said a backpedalling head coach Jay Woodcroft, faced with the question about Smith.
That’s all the coach could muster. “He made some saves as well.”
So it wasn’t 23-3. Only 5-3.
That’s a positive.
It’s a shame, really.
The Oilers, a team trying to prove they can play with the big boys, walk into Tampa and limit the Lightning to 23 shots on goal. That is the exact recipe for how this Edmonton team needs to play, and what it is they have to master to go from being a good regular season team to a playoff contender.
Unfortunately, Mike Smith gives them an .800 save percentage in the game — allowing four goals on a night when the expected goals were 1.83 — and with an empty netter, the Oilers lose 5-3.
more...
Want the trending hockey news in your inbox daily?.
Just add your email, and we'll start sending you the most important hockey news of the day.
